Into the Unknown
by Wanderlustt
Summary: Beth and Daryl have just escaped the prison, uncertain about the future and running for their lives, they seek comfort in each other. 21 years later their daughters are on a mission to figure out their past and who their parents really were.
1. Chapter 1

**I can't wait until February for Bethyl to happen so I decided to write this lol It takes place years after episode 8 season 4 but there will be numerous flashbacks and dreams. For example, the first scene is a flashback to when Beth and Daryl escape the prison. Hope you enjoy it :)**

She was dreaming again. It was the same as always.

_She watched as a horrific scene unfolded before her. Two people were running through the forest, a group of walkers following close behind. In the lead was a thin young woman with blonde hair. She stumbled forward, struggling to stay on her feet, her long legs seemed to failing beneath her, tears pouring down her face. The man behind her yelled out._

_"Keep running!"_

_The man was doing much better then the woman but was running at a slower pace, often turning around to shot at the walkers. He was making sure the woman stayed ahead of him. He was of shorter build but was well muscled and had thick dark brown hair and on his back was a crossbow. The woman fell to the ground, tripping over a tree root. The man cursed loudly. He slung the rifle onto his back with the crossbow and quickly picked the woman up in his arms. He ran faster, no longer looking back at the walkers._

"Georgette wake up!" She sat up out of a dead sleep in a cold sweat, her sister's angelic face over her looking concerned. "You were having a nightmare again." Taking a deep breath of the clean night air she flopped back down onto her sleeping bag. Ignoring her sister's comment she said

"How's the watch going?"

"Boring," It was still night, the sky didn't show any hint of the sun rising, it was still a deep black with stars scattered like diamonds. The only light came from the slow burning fire they'd set up. "I still got a couple of hours left."

"I'll take over if you want," she said, standing up out of her sleeping bag.

"Are you sure?" asked her sister.

"Ya, I won't be able to go back to sleep anyway." Her sister smiled and said

"Thank Gigi," She watched her sister get into her sleeping bag. She turned her icy blue gaze on her and said "Was the nightmare the one with the man and the woman again?" Georgette nodded, not wanting to talk about it. Just thinking of the nightmare brought on the strong emotion of fear like a wave crashing over her head. Her sister lay down and that was the end of the conversation. She knew to leave her alone about it. Georgette sat down next to the fire, enjoying the feeling of warmth on her back. She hugged the AR-15 tight to her chest as she shivered. She wished she could make the fire bigger but it could attract the attention of a walker. It was November and soon snow would fall. She felt another cold chill pass through her and pulled her jacket out of her backpack. It was an old leather jacket and although it was sleeveless it always managed to keep her warm. The angel wings on the back had always given it a unique look. She had had it since she was a child.

She heard a branch snap somewhere out in the woods and she was instantly on her feet. She heard another branch snap and the bushes in front of her rustled. Feeling adrenaline course through her veins as she held up the AR-15, ready to defend herself and her baby sister. Suddenly a raccoon came out from the bushes it looked up at her and went back into the bush. She took a deep breath of relief and lowered her rifle. They already two deer to bring back, they didn't need anymore meat. She looked over at her sister who was sleeping peacefully. Candice was her little sister and she'd so anything to protect her. Besides their adoptive mother Angela, she was the only thing she had in the whole world. They were three years apart, 20 and 17. Despite their close bond they were different people. They were like black and white sheep. Candice was like an angel, a little songbird who liked to help Angela do all the cleaning and cooking and singing whatever tune came to her mind all the while. Her delicate features and fair skin made her look like a porcelain doll. Her big blue eyes were as wide as saucers, her long dirty blonde hair reached her lower back, she reminded Georgette of a gazelle with her long legs and thin body. Georgette on the other hand was rougher around the edges. She stood at a stocky 5'8" and had dark green eyes and curly brown hair that came just past her shoulders. She was always ready for a fight and didn't have time to think of her appearance. Maybe she just had a more negative outlook on things.

Before she knew it the sun was rising above the trees. It was time to go. She went over to Candice and carefully shoke her.

"It's time to get up," she whispered. Candice sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Without talking, the two girls packed up their things and set off. They pulled a small sled behind them holding the two deer they had caught. It took them a half an hour to get home. They lived in a house down a long dirt road far away from any highly populated area. The house was an old ranch style with two floors. While it faced the road and the woods behind it was a wide open field that stretched for miles. It was a beautiful place and sometimes she forgot the terrible situation they were in. You could see the mountains, white with snow. Angela had brought them to Wyoming because she has once lived there with her first husband and she knew how far and few in between the towns were. They only spotted walkers a few times a month and even then it was usually from a distance as they often looked out into the field with binoculars.

Angela was standing on the porch as they walked up. She had a smile on her face.

"You girls did good,"

"We sure did," said Georgette, unhooking the ropes of the sled from her waist. "We'll be set for awhile now." Angela pulled them both into a hug and said

"Well I have hot soup waiting for both of you in the kitchen, I'll take care of the deer." The woman was an absolute saint. She's taken them and loved them like her own. They hurried into the kitchen to find big bowls of soup set at the table. Georgette dug in, feeling the hot broth go down into her stomach, warming her insides. A fire was roaring in the fire and she felt her fingertips start to thaw out. Considering the world around them, they lived an amazing life. Angela came in soon after and chatted with the girls about the hunting trip. After an hour or so Georgette went upstairs to shower.

That night Georgette and Angela sat in front of the fireplace. Candice had went to sleep upstairs and it was just the two of them. The flames cast in eerie glow across the walls and Angela said

"It's nights like this I miss having a large group around." Angela had told her story on numerous occasions. It was about how she, her husband, and young daughter had left Wyoming when the walkers had risen. They had gone to Georgia to be with her family, but upon arrival had found them all to dead. Sadly before they could find safety, her daughter had been killed by a walker. Soon after they met up with a large group where they had met she and Candice's parents. The group got so big the two split so one could go off and establish civilization somewhere else to bring more people in. Unfortunately they didn't get to know them much because after a week there was a massive attack on the groups camp, Angela's husband was killed and while fleeing, Angela found her mother who was heavily wounded and unable to walk. She asked Angela to take the sisters so they wouldn't die in the attack. Georgette had been three, Candice just a newborn. Angela had tried to help her mother up but the attackers were quickly advancing on them and, listening to her mother's pleas, left with them. It had been January and all they had was their pajamas. Candice wrapped in a blanket, Angela in a nightgown, and Georgette in a shirt and pants with the same leather jacket she wore hunting, draped over her. They ran to an old hospital to take shelter where they were captured by the attackers who kept them as prisoners.

_Georgette woke up to her room shaking. She sat up in her bed and heard screams._

_"Mommy," she called out. She felt a strong pair of hands pick her up out of her warm bed._

_"Shhh it's gonna be ok sweetheart," She heard her dad whisper to her. She felt the familiar feel of her daddy's leather jacket and she clung to his shoulder and said_

_"What's going on," He didn't answer her as another loud boom rocked the room. Her father leaned down and lit a candle lighting up the room. She saw her mom sitting on the edge of the bed, her baby sister shrilly crying in her arms. "We have to get outta here," he said. Her mother unsuccessfully tried to hush the baby. Her dad threw open the door to reveal a horrifying scene. Everything was on fire, the trees, the cabins, people. Georgette hid her face in her daddy's shoulder and started to cry. She didn't look up again as she felt her father running. She peeked over his shoulder to see her mother behind them, running with her baby sister. She regretted it instantly as she saw a man being stabbed to death behind them. His blood spraying all over his murderer, his screams echoing in her head. Her father stopped at a large oak tree that had not yet been set on fire. He set her down and she screamed in fear at not being close to him and clung back onto his leg. Her mother hid behind the tree with them, tears streaming down her face._

_"You've got to go, I'll stay here and help fight," Her mother shook her head and let out a sob._

_"You can't," she said clinging onto his chest._

_"I have to," he said, "I can't just abandon everybody," He turned his attention to her and knelt down to her with a serious look on his face._

_"Gigi, I have a very important job for you." He slowly removed his jacket, "I need you to run away from here and look out for your mother and Candice, I'm gonna be leavin' for awhile but I'll meet back up with you soon." He carefully wrapped the jacket around her shoulders. "Can you do that for me?" Georgette nodded her head, tears still flowing down her face. He pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her head. He stood up and turned to her mother. He kissed her baby sister on her soft head and then looked at her mother._

_"I'll be back darlin' I promise," he said, "Run to the old hospital up the hill, that's where people will be takin' refuge, I'll meet you there. Take this," He gave her a handgun. "Look out for any walkers, they'll be comin' in droves." She leaned into him for a passionate kiss. When they came apart he looked into her eyes and said "I love you." And with that he was gone, running back towards the fire. Georgette didn't want him to leave she attempted to run after him._

_"No Georgette!" said her mother grabbing onto her mid-section._

_"Daddy come back!" she yelled. She watched him run off, his crossbow still slung on his back._

_"Let's go sweetheart," said her mother. Georgette took one last look back at her father before she turned around and ran with her mother. A loud explosion behind them shoke the ground, it was too much for little Georgette's legs and it sent her flailing. She heard her mother's scream and then felt her pull her back to her feet and pick her up in her other arm. But something was wrong, her mother was limping and it got worse with each passing second. Georgette looked down and saw deep red blood pouring from her mother's leg. She screamed as her mother fell to the ground Georgette fell and saw her baby sister land next to her, screaming and crying in her soft blanket. Her mother lay behind them. Georgette turned to see a large piece of shrapnel sticking out her leg, a pool of blood was beginning to form on the ground around her._

_"Mommy!" Georgette crawled over to her mom. Her face was twisted in pain. Blood soon began to form around her head, matting her blonde hair. To Georgette's horror she realized her mother had cut open her head on a sharp rock._

_"It's gonna be ok," said her mother, panting heavily. Georgette heard someone run up._

_"Oh my god," she looked up to see a woman looking down on them in shock._

_"Angela," said her mother, "Thank god you're here."_

_"I'm headed to the hospital, I can carry you up with me," she said leaning down to pick her mother up._

_"No," said her mother, "It'll slow you down and we'll never make it without getting killed." Her mother took a deep breath, trying to deal with the intensity of the pain. "Take my girls and get out of here," Angela shoke her head,_

_"I can't leave you here alone," Her mother looked up at Angela with her pretty blue eyes and said_

_"Please, take them." Angela looked like she was going to refuse again but another loud blast from close by changed her mind._

_"Are you sure," she said._

_"Please Angela please!" begged her mother. Angela picked up Candice and took Georgette's hand._

_"After all this," said Angela, "I'll come find you and bring you back your girls." Her mother nodded._

_"Take care of them." Georgette leaned down to her mother, the coppery smell of blood much stronger now. She kissed her mother on the cheek and said_

_"I'll come back for you mommy," She looked into her mother's eyes which were starting to fade._

_"I love you Gigi," she said, holding onto her hand, her grip loosening by the second. Her eyes closed and Angela pulled Georgette away, leaving her mother on the ground to bleed out. She sobbed into Angela's shoulder as she looked back at her mother, limp on the ground._


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who's been reading :) Please review I'd really appreciate it!**

"Candice looks like your mother you know," said Angela, throwing another log on the fire.

"Well who do I look like then," said Georgette.

"Your father," said Angela. "It unfortunate I didn't get to know them better, I helped your mother do laundry and we talked a lot. Not a lot about her past I'm afraid, just about how you and Candice were doing." Georgette smiled, staring into the flames. Angela laughed and said

"She used to tell me how great of a big sister you were, trying to carry Candice everywhere even though you were far too little."

"Did you ever talk to my dad?" she asked.

"Not much," said Angela. "He was the one who often went out on runs with the other men and kept watch on the camp so we never crossed pathes often. Sometimes I would watch you two for your mother and he'd come get you guys for her."

"How'd you guys stay protected from walkers in the camp?"

"We had a big fence around the whole place. It looked like it used to be some sort of campground so we just built cabin for all of the families and settled there." Georgette may not of remembered the attack on the camp but she certainly remembered being held prisoner for a year.

_"Where are we going Angela?" asked Georgette. They were in a long line of people waiting to be loaded onto a bus. Angela held a sleep Candice in her arms as she held onto Georgette's hand. Angela forced a smile at the little girl and said_

_"We're going to our new home."_

_"Where's that?" she asked._

_"I don't know," she said, "We'll just have to wait and see." Angela knew very well where they were going. To be prisoners, to suffer until they starved. It was a second holocaust. Soon it was their turn to be loaded onto the bus. It was overcrowded and she kept a tight grip on Georgette and Candice. If she lost them she would be devastated. She remembered the look on their mother's dying face and her last words to her. "Take care of them." Angela shivered at the ghostly thought._

_A man stood at the front of the bus._

_"EVERYBODY SIT THE FUCK DOWN!" he yelled. She felt little Georgette whimper at his outburst. "You're lucky we allowed you people to live!"_

_Georgette sat on the floor of her cell. She was freezing, She was still wearing the same pajamas she'd been wearing when she fled the camp. The only thing keeping her warm was her daddy's jacket which she pulled tightly around her, trying to not let any of her body hear escape. She heard her stomach let out a loud growl. She hadn't eaten in two days, all she'd had was water. A man came into her cell and without a word he picked her up by the arm._

_"Hey let go of me!" She punched at the man's sides who gave her violent shake._

_"Shut up you little brat!"She kept her mouth shut as he brought her into another cell. Sitting at a table inside was Angela. They roughly set Georgette down on the floor in front of the table and shut the cell door._

_"Are you gonna tell us where the other half of your group went?" Angela shoke her head no. She knew if she told them they'd just go destroy and loot them. The man picked Georgette up off the ground and pulled out a knife and held it to her throat. Angela gasped in horror. "Tell us where the prison is." Angela let out a sob. Georgette felt the knife dig deeper into her flesh. Soon small ruby beads of blood started to seep out from the knife's blade. That was all it took for Angela to cave. While she hadn't been involved in the plans for the group to move she knew the general area they were in. Georgette was dropped to the ground once they had found out exactly what they wanted to know. Georgette crawled over to Angela who picked her up and held her tightly in a hug. The men left them in the cell, locking the door on the way out._

Georgette woke up early the next morning. She sat up and saw her sister still asleep on the bed across the room. She swung her legs out from under the covers, the cold air biting at her bare skin. She stood up and went over to the dresser and pulled her clothes out. She pulled on a pair of jeans, boots and a heavy sweater. She grabbed her gun on the way out and went downstairs. She poured herself a bowl of cereal and went out onto the back enclosed porch. The morning air was cold and she could smell snow on the air. The sun was rising over the mountains, casting a deep orange and yellow hue over the field. She pulled a large textbook out of her bag and flipped open onto the page she had marked. It was a large American history book she had taken from a school they had broken into. She had never lived in a world were things were peaceful or where she went to school and was taught about the country's history. She wanted to know as much as possible. Maybe when she was was done with American history she could find a world history textbook. She heard the door open and Candice sat down in the chair next to her.

"Whatcha reading about?" she said curiously.

"The Revolutionary War," said Georgette. Candice leaned close over her shoulder, too close for comfort. With a twinge of annoyance Georgette said

"Can you back away, you're breathing on me." Candice rolled her eyes and said

"Whatever," Feeling guilty about telling her off Georgette said

"Next time we go into town I'll get you your own book." Candice went back inside and she heard her shifting around wood in the fireplace to get the house heated up. She heard Candice call out

"Oh and don't forget it's thanksgiving in three days, we gotta go out and catch a turkey for Angela." The girls had no idea what day it actually was they just guessed. They went off the seasons.

Georgette sat in the thick brush, staying absolutely still. A herd of turkeys were right ahead of her. They were unaware of her, pecking seeds off the ground and making small clucking noises. She raised her gun and got one in her sight. She pulled the trigger and saw the bird fall. All of the other scattered but it didn't matter, all she needed was one. Smiling she slung her gun over her shoulder and walked into the clearing. She picked the dead bird up off the ground put it over her shoulder. It was a big bird and she knew it would make for a great thanksgiving dinner.

They sat around the table. It was a feast. The turkey was in the middle and mashed potatoes and green beans from Angela's garden. It was an amazing night. How could things be so perfect. They never went hungry, they lived far enough away from civilization to not have to worry about walkers, what more could they ask for? If only things could've stayed that way forever.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to Victoria94 for reviewing! :) More would be appreciated, I like to know what you guys think.**

Candice pressed her face against the cold glass window, looking out at the snow covered ground. She backed away from the window, leaving a smudge where her face had been. She turned to her sister who was on the couch

"Are we going out on a run anytime soon?"

"Tomorrow," said Georgette, "We need more medicine and we're gonna have to go two towns over to get it, the closest pharmacy was completely out last time I went there." Candice knew supplies were scarce. Angela had explained to them when the walkers had first risen there had been plenty of shelves still stocked but it had been almost 20 years since the start and the stores had been depleted. It would take them an hour to get there and back tomorrow. Feeling cold she went upstairs and sat down on her bed, wrapping a blanket around herself. Her thoughts wandered back to the trip they had to take tomorrow. She knew Georgette was more than content to stay here forever and live safely but Candice knew they couldn't forever. Sooner or later all of the stores and shops would run out and they'd be down to nothing. The markets had long since run out and they'd been hunting and growing their own food for about two years now. Soon everything would be gone and they'd be living like cavemen. Eventually they needed to move on and find a new place to live where there was more supplies, if such a place existed. She knew nothing of the world outside of Wyoming. She had never talked to anyone other than Angela and her sister. She longed for more human contact. She lay down onto her side and pulled her legs up under her chin. She found herself dozing off and slipped into a light slumber.

_He held her close. Her body was shaking in his arms as sobbed into his chest. There was nothing he could say to her. Her father had just been beheaded before her eyes, her sister was gone and they had no idea if poor little Judith had made it out alive. He could feel tears in his own eyes. Everyone loved Hershel, he been like a father to all of them. He ran his hands through her blonde hair, trying to comfort her._

_"Everything's gonna be ok," he said._

_"No it's not," she said, "My whole family is gone, Maggie's lost, and my dad-" She couldn't finish her sentence and burst into tears again. "Everyone's gone!"_

_"Hey," he said trying to get her attention, but she kept her head pressed into him. He lifted her chin up to look at him. Her blue eyes were red and wet with tears. He put on the warmest smile he could muster and said "You got me." She tightened her hug around him and said_

_"Do you think we'll find my sister and everyone else?" Daryl didn't want to make the girl any promises so instead he said_

_"I'll do my best," She buried her face back into his chest but she was no longer sobbing, just softly crying. He rubbed her back and it seemed to calm her down even more. "What we need to do now is find shelter before dark." Beth backed away and nodded in agreement, still looking distraught. "We'll have to find a road or somethin'. We need a car." He walked off towards what looked like an opening in the forest up ahead. She remained standing where she was, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. He looked back and smiled again_

_"You comin' or what?" Beth walked after him, not saying a word. He felt relieved when he realized he had been right and they walked out onto a road. Unfortunately, he didn't see any cars. There had to be one somewhere along the road. "Looks like we better get walkin'" Maybe if he was lucky he'd find a motorcycle since he left his back at the prison._

_They walked side by side in silence for awhile. Trying to strike up a conversation he said_

_"At least it ain't winter, we'd be freezin' to death." She just nodded again, staring at the ground. He let out a long sigh. He couldn't blame her for acting like this. She clearly had been traumatized. He wasn't one for physical contact but he reached out and took her hand. She looked up at him with a questioning expression. He gave her hand a tight squeeze and said_

_"You don't have to worry about nothin' everything's gonna be ok." She looked down again, her sad blue eyes still filled with sorrow and defeat. He looked up at the road again and felt a rush of excitment when he saw an SUV sitting on the side of the road. He approached it cautiously in case of any walkers but found nothing. The car was empty. "Let's go," he said getting into the drivers seat. He was happy to see the keys still in the ignition. He turned the keys and heard the engine rev and then fail. "Come on!" he said in desperation. He turned it again and was relieved when the car started up. He was also happy to see that there was half a gas tank left. She sat in the seat next to him, still looking down at the ground, like she was in some kind of trance. He put the car into drive and started driving down the road. It was a long road and there was nothing but the forest on both sides. He looked up into the sky and saw the sun setting over the horizon. They needed to get somewhere fast or they'd be stuck on the road for the night. Suddenly Beth spoke up_

_"Right there, there's a dirt road." He looked over to where she was pointing on the right side of the road. Hidden by the thick foliage he could just make out the road. If she hadn't of spotted it he certainly would have missed it. He pulled off the road, feeling the car bounce as they went over potholes. It was overgrown with grass and there was no way anyone could of been down there for a long time. A house came into view, it was two stories, old and dilapidated but it was shelter. He pulled up to the front and checked for walkers. There appeared to be none lurking outside. "Stay here," he said, "I'm goin' in to check the place. I'll be back when it's clear." He made sure the doors were locked and then got out. He walked up to the door and tested the doorknob to see that it was open. He pushed it in and walked into a living room. There were two dusty couches sitting in front of the fireplace, the wooden floor had been rotted out in some places so he could see the basement down below. Before he stepped any further he tested his weight out on the boards that still looked intact. After circling the room he figured the main perimeter of the room was safe to walk on, and the small area where the couches were, but not the middle of the room. Straight ahead was an open doorway that led to a hallway with a staircase. Off to the left was another doorway. He crept over and peered inside to see a kitchen. Sure enough, limping towards him was a walker. He raised his bow and quickly shot it through the head. The kitchen looked like that of any typical American home but like the couches, covered in a layer of dust. The tiled floors seemed stable so he went and pulled the arrow out of the walkers head. He made his way back into the living room and into the hallway where the stairs where. He quickly cleared the bathroom and closet in the hallway and then cautiously ascended the stairs. The boards under his feet creaked but didn't make any splintering sounds so he figured they were safe. The upstairs hallway had four doorways. The first was a small bedroom, the second a bathroom, the third another bedroom, and the last was the master bedroom. All of the rooms had old beds in them that were stripped of their mattresses and blankets except for the master. A queen sized bed still sat at the far end. It had a thick mattress with blankets. Next to it was a couch. It would be perfect. The last place to check was the basement. The doorway leading down was under the staircase and he had to duck to avoid hitting his head. It was cold and dark and he had to swat a ton of thick cobwebs out of the way before he finally reached the bottom. As he expected he found three walkers in the basement, quickly finishing them. He quickly went back upstairs and back outside._

_"It's all clear," he said. Beth got out of the car and followed him back inside. He saw her looking around the room. "It's dusty and broken down but it'll do." She went and sat down on one of the couches, sending a cloud of dust into the air. They hadn't been able to relax in hours. She spread out on the couch, putting her head on the arm rest. He took a seat on the other, watching her._

_"Sometimes I like to pretend that life's still normal," she said, "I close my eyes and try to make myself believe I'm sitting on the couch in my living room back home. The TVs on and me, Maggie and Shawn are all watching it, my daddy's sitting in the room across the hall, reading the Bible, my mom's in the kitchen, everything was perfect." She was quiet for a moment before saying "Lying here makes it easier to imagine."_

_Daryl woke up to find himself in darkness. For a moment he forgot where he was. Then he felt the leather material under his hand and he remembered the couch. He'd fallen asleep. He sat up and looked over onto the other couch. Beth wasn't there. He heard a faint sniffling noise coming from the kitchen. It took his brain a moment to process that it was the sound of someone crying. He stood up in a hurry and rushed into the kitchen to find Beth standing over the sink. She had a rusty knife in her hand. He realized what she was trying to do._

_"No!" he said, lunging forward and grabbing the knife from her. She tried to take it back but he tossed it off to the side. He held onto her as she tried to sink to the floor to grab it. "No," he said again. Tears flowed down her face again._

_"Please just let me do it," she said, "I can't take it anymore." He pulled her in close . "There's nothing left to hold onto, the longer we wait the slower and more painful our death will be." She struggled in his arms again, trying to find a way out._

_"Hey! Hey, calm down!" She wasn't listening to him, there was a wild look in her eyes. He took her face in his hands "Beth look at me!" he said. She finally stopped struggling against his grip. "It ain't over yet, don't give up on me. I'm gonna keep you safe and protect you. I can't do this alone."_

_"You should of gone with Michonne or someone as strong as you, I'm weaker."_

_"You ain't weak," he said, "Don't let me hear you talkin' like that. I'm glad it's you I'm here with." He felt her go limp in his arms. She had to be not only exhausted but emotionally defeated. "Let's go," he said. He carefully picked her up into his arms and carried her up the stairs. When they reached the master bedroom he set her down onto the couch. The covers on the bed were caked with dust so he ripped them off the bed and took them over onto the opposite corner of the room to shake them out. When he was done he spread it back onto the bed._

_"There," he said, "The bed's all yours."_

_"Are you sure?" she asked._

_"Ya, I'll take the couch," he said sitting next to her._

_"What time do you think it is?" she asked. Surprised by the question he shrugged and looked out the window. The sky was clear and full of stars and a full moon. "Maybe around two judgin' by the way the moon is."_

_"What are we doing tomorrow?" she asked._

_"We could check out the area," he said, "See if there's any other houses around, I should probably go huntin' and we should check out what's left in the kitchen."_

_"And we'll drive around to see if we can find anyone?"_

_"Ya," he said. She nodded and then yawned. She got up and crawled onto the bed, laying on her side so she faced him._

_"I'm sorry about earlier, I just lost control that's all. It feels like all the walls are closing in on us." He smiled at her and said_

_"I'll make sure they don't." For the first time in days she had a small smile on her face._

_"You promise?" she asked._

_"I promise."_

**Not a lot of Georgette or Candice in this one but I think having the flashbacks is good too explain what Daryl and Beth went through together. The next chapter will make up for it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to the people who have reviewed so far :) More reviews would be appreciated so I know what you guys think!**

Georgette knew it was gonna be tough getting into the building and back to the car. The snow had to be at least a foot and a half deep, the only reason they made it through was because of the plow on the front of the truck. They were in the middle of the blizzard and it was coming down fast and hard.

"Ready?" said Georgette grabbing onto her rifle. She looked over at Candice who was anxiously looking out the window.

"Ya," she said hesitantly. Georgette didn't want to wait any longer, she threw the door open and hopped out. They had cleared a path with the plow up to the front door of the store so they didn't have to plod through the snow. She pulled her ski goggles down over her eyes and put her hood up over her head and ran towards the door. While the walkers would have a hard time attacking them out the outside due to the snow they had to be on the guard when they got inside. When they reached the door they realized it was locked with a chain and padlock. She took the butt end of her gun and smashed it as hard as she could against the glass doors. After a few hard swings it shattered.

"Let's go," she said. With her gun up she walked through the doorway. It was dark inside and she took out her flashlight. The moment she turned it on she spotted thre walkers, coming towards her. Not wanting to make any noise, she took out the hatchet in her belt and quickly knocked them all to the ground. It was a pharmacy and while a lot of the tings were gone there was still a good amount left. They shoveled whatever they could find into their duffel bags. Once they were full they ran back out the car.

"Where are we going next?" asked Candice, shouting over the wind.

"To the gardening store across the street, Angela wants us to see if there are any seeds left." THey quickly got back into the truck and backed up. The snow they had plowed on the way there had been quickly replaced with a new deep layer of snow. They backed out onto the street and quickly plowed the rest of the way to the gardening store. As they turned their headlights onto the front door, Georgette was shocked to see two walkers lurking under the awning. Stepping on the gas, she drove forward. She took the walkers out with the plow as well as the front doors, smashing into the store. She hopped out and quickly shot the two walkers inside. She found most of the bins where seeds had been empty but two bins had some left at the bottom. Using a small shovel she scooped it into her bag. She heard a door open and looked up to see walkers pouring out of a dorr at the back of the store. "Shit!" she picked up her bag and ran back to the car. The walkers clawed at the front of her car. She put it into reverse and backed up, quickly taking off back down the road. They needed to get back, the conditions were getting much worse. They hadn't had a snowstorm this bad for years. The ride was an hour back and it would no doubt take longer, they couldn't drive very fast.

"Do you want me to drive back?" asked Candice, sounding concerned.

"No it's fine," she said, "You can get some sleep if you want."

When they finally made it back onto the county road leading to the house, Georgette was thrilled. It was late at night and she couldn't wait to lay down in bed and go to sleep. She picked up speed and the house came in sight. She parked the car and hopped out putting both of the duffel bags over her arms. Candice hopped out and they walked towards the house. When she looked up at it she knew something was wrong. The front door was wide open. They both gave each other a look of fear. They ran up the porch and into the house. Georgette heard the sounds of walkers moaning from somewhere in the house. She knew better then to call out and attract attention but she couldn't help it.

"Angela!" She took her gun off her back. There was no reply. They crept into the kitchen and Georgette let out a sob. There on the floor was Angela. A swarm of walkers were around her, eating her. She was clearly dead.

"No!" cried Candice, leaping forward. Georgette grabbed onto her, holding her back. The walkers looked up at them and stood up.

"We gotta go," cried Georgette, "We gotta go!" She yanked on Candice's arm, pulling her back into the hallway. Suddenly, walkers swarmed in at them from the front door. Georgette raised her gun and started shooting. Candice stood behind her, completely in shock. She took out all the zombies in the doorway and quickly ran back outside, the snow blinding her. The truck was surrounded by walkers, a whole herd of them coming for them. They were surrounded completely. They clung to each other, looking for a way out. The cluster by the woods was not nearly as thick as the one facing the field. She ran towards the woods shooting and knocking down walkers. The snow was thick and hard to see through. Her feet were numb, her boots were long gone as she ran through the thick snow, followed closely by Candice. The fact that Angela was dead hadn't even registered in her mind yet, they just needed to get away. She knew the woods well but with the snow falling and adrenaline pumping through her veins, everything looked foreign to her. She lost her footing, she felt herself slip and fall. She was sliding down a hill fast. It seemed to get steeper the further she went down. Suddenly she felt as if she was free falling. Then the breath was knocked out of her as she fit the ground. The pain was intense and she cried out, feeling the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. She rolled over onto her side, realizing she was lying on ice. She yelled out again as she felt a throbbing pain her side. She opened her eyes to see she had landed on a large lake. The hill they had fallen down was steep and there was no doubt the fall had done some damage. She took a deep breath and felt a shooting pain in her ribs. She screamed out again, letting tears fall from her eyes. Then she remembered Candice, she desperately looked around for her. Her blood went cold when she saw her in the water. Her fall must of broken the ice and sent her into the freezing water. Ignoring the pain, she got up and stumbled over to her. She had her mouth open as if she was trying to scream but couldn't get it out. She was extremely pale and hypothermia was already taking over her limbs as she seemed to move stiffly. Georgette hooked her hands under her arms and pulled with all her might, feeling more of her ribs crack and snap under the pressure. She pulled her out onto the ice. Her skin was blue and her breathing was short and strained.

"Oh god," said Georgette. She got to her feet and let out another cry of pain, almost collapsing back to the ground. But she knew her sister was in deep trouble. She managed to pick her up off the ground and support her by having her lean on her. Every step was agony, not only were her ribs grating against each other but her feet were bare and it was like stepping on knives. They couldn't go back towards the house, so she went towards the opposite shore of the lake. She could see the faint outline of the trees through the snow. When they finally reached the shoreline the bottoms of her feet had been cut up and she looked back to see she had left bloody footprints behind her. They needed to find shelter fast before Candice died of hypothermia or she collapsed. She continued to walk for what felt like hours and when she looked up she almost cried out in happiness. There in front of them was a small cabin. She picked up her pace and went up onto the deck and tried to open the door. It was locked. She screamed in frustration and started kicking the door. She threw her whole body weight against it, bursting it open. She fell onto the floor, Candice falling next to her. Her sister looked frozen. Her blue eyes wide open, her skin as blue as the sky. Her hair was matted with ice. The only indication that she was alive was Georgette could just slightly see her chest moving up and down. Georgette started coughing. It was deep and painful, unlike anything she'd ever felt before. She coughed up a ton of blood, feeling a stabbing pain in her chest. She heard the hissing of a walker. Her fingers felt frozen solid but she somehow managed to reached for the pistol strapped to her belt. Her whole arm shook as she looked upside down. Two walkers were approaching her from the other side of the room. She pulled the trigger shooting them both. Next task at hand was to close the door. She looked down at her feet and cried out in disgust as she saw how mangled her toes were. Flesh hung off her foot in tatters, she could see the bones of her big toes, her nails gone. She managed to kick the door shut. All she could hear was the howling of the wind outside. She listened carefully for the sound of more walkers as she lay there. She knew she had to take action but she couldn't move whether it was exhaustion or the cold she couldn't bring herself to move off the floor. Her vision started to become cloudy and she soon felt herself fall into darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. I haven't gotten a whole lot of reviews on this and I did get some "hate mail". So if more of you guys want me to continue please let me know. I've decided that I'm going to switch off every other chapter with the girls story and Beth and Daryl's story. So next chapter after this will be focused completely on Georgette and Candice. The pictures of the girls are up on my profile.**

Beth woke up to the sunlight pouring in on her face. Last night came flooding back to her. She sat up and saw that the couch was empty. Feeling nervous she called out

"Daryl?" When he didn't answer her she slid off the bed. The floorboards were cold under her bare feet. "Daryl," she called out again. She looked down the hallway wand was relieved to see him coming up the stairs. On his back he had what looked like three cooked squirrels strung up on rope. "Wow," she said "You work fast."

"Well we needa eat," he said, standing in the doorway. She went back over and sat on the bed as he took one of the squirrels off of the rope and passed it to her. She had to admit, they had been pampered when it came to food back at the prison, she hadn't had to eat a squirrel in awhile, especially for breakfast. But she dug in anyway, she was starving, they hadn't eaten since leaving the prison.

"Sorry again for last night," she said, feeling awkward.

"Don't worry about it," he said, taking a bite of his squirrel.

"I just feel pathetic about it,"

"Don't, you should let it out, I'm here for you." She smiled at him. She and Daryl had never been extremely close. But over the past month things had seemed to change. She'd always watched him from afar, wondering what kind of person he was under his hard exterior. Carol had seemed to make a connection with him but she was gone. Suddenly he had started noticing her, coming to visit her a Judith, coming to tell her Zach was dead, it had all seemed odd to her. It wasn't that she didn't like it, in fact she couldn't help but feel an admiration towards him, maybe even something a little further than that. But they were stuck in a terrible situation and she couldn't let her feelings get in the way of things.

"After we're done eating we can go out onto the road and see if we can find anyone."

"That'd be great," she said smiling.

* * *

They left the house a half hour later.

"I checked out most of the land 'round here," he said. "There's another house up that way," he pointed off to the north. "And a river that leads into good sized pond further back into the woods." Good, they would have fresh water and a place to bathe. They got into the car and Daryl turned it around, heading back towards the main road. Beth rolled down the window, enjoying the summer breeze.

"I know a good amount of people got away on the bus but I didn't see where anyone else went," she said.

"Maybe we'll find 'em all together," he said, "Maybe we were the only one's to get separated." She knew it was a lie.

The sun was high in the sky, and it was blazing hot out. They saw several more cars along the way. They checked them, looking to see if they knew anyone inside. Beth's thoughts wandered off again into a dark place. Seeing the dead people in their cars made her think of the whole world and all of the suffering and pain. She quickly stopped herself from deepening her thoughts, knowing it would distract her from the present. She had to think of what was going on now, not of the past nor of the future. Daryl spotted another car and pulled off onto the side of the road.

"Almost outa fuel," he said, "Gotta siphon some more." She watched as he checked the car for any walkers and then went around the other side to get the fuel. Beth kept her eyes on the road, hoping that at any second a car would come over the hill and she'd see Maggie behind the wheel. The heat was terrible, making her feel like she was suffocating. She saw Daryl come back from around the car and start to pour the fuel into their own. As he was doing so Beth started to notice a few walkers coming out of the forest on the other side of the road.

"Hey," she said, catching his attention, "We should get out of here." He looked up at her, annoyed at her rushing him. She gestured towards the walkers and he understood, quickly pouring the rest of the fuel in. He got back in the car and sped away as the walkers approached the car. The continued up the road and found a small town.

"We needa stock up on stuff," he said, "Look for a bag." She leaned over into the back seat and spotted some plastic bags. They found a pharmacy and got out. "Stay behind me," he said, grabbing his crossbow. He kicked the doors of the pharmacy open. There didn't seem to be any walkers inside and they went in. The shelves still had things on them. While Daryl shoveled bottles into his bag she went off to the feminine section. She quickly put a box of tampons into her bag along with shampoo, conditioner and soup. Moving down the shelves she took whatever seemed useful. She blushed when she came across the condoms. Looking away, she continued down the aisle. She heard him call out

"Ready to go?"

"Yup, coming!" she said back. She ran back to the front of the store. "Where else should we go?"

"There's gotta be a food store around here," he said. They walked outside and got back into the car. Sure enough further down the street they found a supermarket. "Perfect," he said, jumping out. He quickly took down the few walkers lurking around the parking lot. When they got inside they grabbed baskets. "Be careful in here," he said, "They could be anywhere." She took cans of soup and bags of rice. She heard the moaning of a walker at the other end of the aisle. She took out the knife on her belt and quickly slashed it head. Daryl ran down the aisle and grabbed onto her arm. "Time to go!" he said pulling her towards the door. She looked back to see a crowd of walkers following them. When they got back to the car they went back to main road. "We're better off catchin' our own food." he said.

When they got clear of the town Daryl stopped the car and turned to her.

"Do you have your license?" Surprised at his question she shoke her head no.

"Didn't get that far before the end of the world," she said joking around, "But my daddy let me drive the truck around the farm." The thought of her dad spiked her emotions but she held it in, hoping he hadn't noticed.

"Well it's about time you learned," he said. "If something ever happens to me you need to know how to get away." He got out of the drivers seat and came around to her side of the car. "Come on out," he said smiling. She hesitantly opened the door and hopped out.

"Are you serious?" she said.

"Ya," he said laughing, "Just cause the world ended don't mean you shouldn't learn how to drive a car." She got out and went around to the drivers seat. "Put it in drive," he said. The car started moving forward and she put her foot lightly on the gas. They moved smoothly down the road and she saw the surprised look on his face

"I told you I knew what I was doing," she said. They continued down the road, passing through more small towns. Beth kept her eyes out for anything that indicated someone had also recently passed through or was taking shelter. "We should leave some kind of message," said Beth.

"Whadya mean?" he asked.

"Like on the side of a building we could write something telling them to go back down the road and look for the house we're in. We could even put a sign up at the entrance of the road that leads to the house so they know where it is. She could see the apprehension on his face.

"That could also bring in unwelcome guests," he said.

"Please," she said, "If they're out there they could drive right through here and they won't even know we're nearby." He looked like he was thinking about it.

"Fine," he said, "But we need spray paint."

"There's a hardware store over there, I'll go check it," He grabbed her wrist and said

"Not without me you ain't." She felt annoyed and pulled her arm away.

"I can handle myself," she said.

"I'm not letting you go in there alone," he said. She gave him another annoyed look, crossing her arms over her chest. He smiled and said "Look I'll teach you how to use the crossbow sometime, but for now I'm not letting you go alone."

* * *

Daryl stood still, Beth sat on his shoulders, writing on the brick wall of a building.

"You almost done?" he said.

"Just hold on," she said, "The letters have to big so they can see them from the road." He grumbled grumpily. "Move over a little," she said. He walked sideways so she had a new space to write. It wasn't her weight bothering him, she was as light as a feather but the heat was starting to get to him. He had his hands on her upper legs, keeping her in place so she wouldn't fall backwards. He couldn't help but notice how soft the skin on the inside of her legs were. He took a deep breath and tried to push the thought from his mind. The past month had been weird for him. Beth was not a kid anymore and he had started noticing shortly after her eighteenth birthday. It hadn't been a huge deal, one of the days he had stopped in to visit her and Judith she had briefly mentioned that she had turned eighteen. He had gone back the next day and left her a little present, a gold bracelet he had taken out of a store they had gone too on a run. He had never gotten any jewelry for a woman before and he had felt so awkward doing it but the next day when she came up to him with a huge grin and pulled him into a tight hug he knew she'd liked it. She was wearing it on her wrist now and never seemed to take it off. It was during that hug that he noticed her in a different light. She had grown taller, her body had filled out into new curves, he had been afraid of the feelings. Sure Carol had always flirted with him but it was different, to him they were just close friends.

He knew she was forbidden, she was Hershel's youngest daughter and nobody in the prison would accept a relationship between them. But things got worse (or maybe better?) as time went on. He had been the one to deliver the news about Zach's death to her. Again she had hugged him. He had been afraid to put his hands on her, afraid of what he would do. And here they were together, alone, her on his shoulders, pressing her chest into his head as she leaned over and spray painted on the wall. Why would a young girl like her want an old redneck like him?

"Done," she said.

"Thank god," he said, getting onto his knees so she could slide off. She stood back and looked at her work. In bright red letters it read: Prison group, go back to house on road, look for sign on left side.

"That'll do," she said.

"Let's hope know one else besides the group sees it," he said.

* * *

They headed back to the house. They had been out all day. Daryl went out into the kitchen and dumped all of the things he'd gotten at the pharmacy onto the table. They had also managed to find a case of water left at the market. He took a bottle and kicked it back, the fresh water tasted amazing. He dumped Beth's bag out and felt a rush of embarrassment when he picked up a box of tampons that had fallen out of her bag. He couldn't turn the other way when it came to things like this. If they were gonna live together he had to get used to it. He found the shampoo, conditioner and soap and put those aside as he looked at the different medicine they'd gotten. He almost choked on the water when he saw a box of condoms. What the hell was she thinking?! What did she need condoms for? He went out to the living room where she was eating a can of chicken noodle soup.

"What'd you get these for?" he said, holding up the box. He saw her eyes go wide with shock, and her face turned completely red.

"I didn't- those aren't-I have no idea where those came from," she said. "They must of fallen into my bag when I was getting something else off the shelf." He laughed to himself and saw her get angry. "I swear I had no idea, why the hell would I need condoms?!" And with that she got up and stormed off upstairs. He hadn't mean't to upset her, he was just joking around. He followed her up the stairs. She had already closed and locked the door by the time he got there.

"Just open the damn door." He didn't get any response. He wasn't exactly the kind of guy that had a way with words but he'd give it a shot. "M'sorry Beth, I didn't mean to upset you. I was just messin' around." He heard the door unlock and he opened to see her standing there, an upset look still on her face. He smiled but she didn't smile back.

"No worries, we can just use 'em as water balloons." That got her to smile a little bit. "We shouldn't be fightin'," he said. "We need to focus on survivin' until we find the group again."

"I know," she said, sighing as she took a seat on the bed.

"So am I forgiven?" he asked with a laugh. She smirked at him and said

"As long as you teach me how to use the crossbow tomorrow." Daryl was surprised at how spicy her attitude was. He had brought the sweet, shy Beth that everyone had known back at the prison out of her shell. He smiled and said

"It's a deal."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks everyone for your support :) I will be continuing this story. Just as a side note about the timeline, Georgette is twenty and Candice is seventeen. The events of Beth and Daryl escaping the prison took place twenty-one years prior. In the flashbacks Georgette is three and Candice is an infant. Angela was in her late 50's when she died.**

* * *

Georgette woke up on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. It was dark, the only source of light was the full moon, it's silvery light coming through the window. Her feet were no longer numb and she could feel the intense pain. She remembered looking down at her feet and seeing how torn up they were. She looked over at Candice. Her eyes were shut. For a fleeting, terrifying moment, Georgette thought she was dead but when saw her chest rise and fall she felt relieved. Her skin was still blue and her hair was still covered in ice. Georgette gently moved herself closer to Candice and put her head on her chest to feel her heartbeat. It was there but it was slow along with her breathing. Georgette knew she had to get herself up. She ignored the pain in her ribs and got to her feet. She got a good look at them. Strips of flesh hung loosely off to the side, blood still oozing out onto the wooden floor. She could see the bones on her three middle toes, her little toes were completely gone. Whatever skin was left on them was black and frostbitten. She gagged, and leaned over onto the sink in the kitchen and threw up. The overwhelming scent of blood assaulted her senses. All of the blood she'd coughed up was still caked in dry layers on her face.

Trembling she looked around the room. She almost cried in happiness when she saw the bags from the run they had gone on were sitting on the floor by the door. They must of managed to hold on to them. She stumbled over to them and saw back down onto the floor. She unzipped the bag and pulled out a small pack of lighters. She looked around for something she could use as firewood. A pile of old newspapers sat on top of the counter. She pulled them down and set them down on the floor and quickly lit a match. The paper went up in flames instantly. The warmth felt amazing but she knew Candice needed it more than her. Getting up she limped down the hallway. Every step was agony but she needed to find a blanket. There were two doors on each side with one straight ahead. A bathroom and two bedrooms. She found a blanket still on one of the beds and quickly brought it back to her sister. Wrapping her in it as best she could, she gently moved her sister closer to the fire. She took out her knife and cut two small strips of cloth from the blanket. She carefully wrapped it around her feet, keeping it tight in hopes of stopping the bleeding. She knew she'd have to look at more later but she needed to help her sister. She pulled off Candice's boots and rubbed her feet and hands trying to get some heat circulating back into her limbs. The ice in her hair was finally starting to melt. When Candice opened her eyes Georgette started crying and pulled her into a hug. Disoriented, she tried to sit up.

"Don't," said Georgette, holding her down.

"Where are we," said Candice.

"Were safe," she said. Candice shivered and said

"I'm so cold," Georgette hushed her and said

"Stay close to the fire." Candice put the other side of the blanket around Georgette's shoulder so the two could huddle together and share body warmth. The house was not nearly as cold as the outside but having have been vacant for who knows how long it was still cold.

"Where are we?" she asked again, "What happened?" Angela's death finally hit Georgette full on.

"Angela's dead," said Georgette, letting out a sob, "Walkers swarmed the house. You fell through the ice in the lake and I carried you here." The two girls broke down.

"We weren't their to protect her," said Candice crying, "It's our fault she's dead!"

"Don't think like that," said Georgette, although in the back of her own mind she was thinking it too.

"We let our gaurd down because we thought the house was safe enough away from civilization for walkers to find us." Georgette didn't reply but instead put her arm around her sister's shoulder and let the tears flow from her eyes.

* * *

_Georgette couldn't sleep, the sharp hunger pains in her stomach was keeping her awake. She rolled over on the cot, trying to find a more comfortable position. A soft knocking on the bars of her cell caught her attention. She rolled back over to see Angela crouching down in front of the door in the darkness._

_"Georgette it's just Angela." Smiling Georgette hopped off her cot and went over to the door._

_"What are you doing here?" she asked._

_"We're getting out of her," she said._

_"How'd you get out of your cell," She held up a ring of keys._

_"I stole it from one of the guards earlier." Angela quickly got to work on trying each key in the lock. The fifth key fit and Angela carefully and silently opened Georgette's door._

_"Where's Candice?" asked Georgette._

_"I need you to help me get her," said Angela, "She's in a nursery with the other babies here. If I walk in their someone's gonna notice me, but your small enough to sneak in and out." Georgette felt excited, knowing she was on a mission to save her baby sister. Angela took her hand and led her down the hallway. They came into a large room that had several different hallways leading in different directions. Coming from one of the hallway Georgette could hear the sound of a baby crying. Angela led her down that hallway and they came to a door that was slightly ajar. Georgette could see cribs inside and could hear the sounds of the baby crying. Angela leaned down and whispered quickly to her. "Go in and stay hidden I can see Candice. She's in the first crib in the third row." Georgette carefully slipped through the door. She quickly hid under a crib. She could hear someone softly hushing the crying baby. From what she could hear it sounded like the woman was on the other side of the room. She slipped out from underneath the crib and went straight for the next one. Suddenly the baby above her let out a high pitched cry. Feeling her heart jump in her chest. Georgette stayed absolutely still as the woman hurried over to the crib. Georgette could see her feet, but a large wooden panel prevented her from seeing anything else. She held her breath, as the woman cooed at the baby. After a couple of minutes, the baby calmed down and Georgette heard the woman walk away and leave through a door on the opposite side of the room. She quickly stood up and saw her little sister sleeping in the crib in front of her. She carefully wrapped her up in the blanket that was covering her and went back out the door to find Angela anxiously waiting. Without saying a word, Angela took Candice from her and the two ran back out into the main room. "This way!" said Angela. She turned and ran down a long hallway with a large door at the end. She took the keys out of her pocket and quickly unlocked the door. The door swung open to let in a gust of cold hair. Letting out a little whine Candice awoke and let a huge wail. She heard Angela curse and say "Come on we gotta go!" She took her hand and they ran out into the night._

* * *

They sat in silence, all they could hear was the crackling of the fire and the wind whistling outside. The room had gotten warm enough now that they were able to take off their winter coats. Georgette still held her winged jacket close around her, feeling chilled to the bone. The tears had stopped but they were still grieving. Candice spoke up and said

"She took us in and gave us a home, we were raised by her." Angela was the only parent they'd ever known, especially Candice who was an infant when she took them in. Angela had never raised them to believe that she was their true mother and they'd never called her 'mom' but she had been their guardian and caretaker until they were old enough to hunt and take care of themselves. Georgette smiled remembering all of the wonderful times they'd had together and all of the stories Angela had told them about the world before the walkers.

"You know she always told me that you looked like our mother," said Georgette.

"I never liked listening to her talk about them," said Candice, "It makes me think too much."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"It makes me think about who we would be or could be if we had our parents around. We don't even know if they're alive. They could be anywhere." Georgette had sat in front of the fire countless nights with Angela discussing her parents. Candice had rarely joined them. "Did she ever tell you their names?" She looked up at Candice and said

"Beth Dixon was our mother's name, she didn't remember our father's name."

"But his last name had to be Dixon?" said Candice.

"Assuming they were married or she used his last name," said Georgette. Candice just shrugged and threw some more newspaper into the fire.

"Do you think they're still alive?"

"I don't know," said Georgette, "When Angela left with us she said our mom was in pretty bad shape, that's why she gave us to her." Candice didn't answer, she turned away, putting more newspapers on the fire. Feeling the fresh flames, Georgette took the blanket off of her legs and feet and put them closer to fire. Candice saw her wrapped feet.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I lost my boots somewhere along the way here."

"Let me see," said Candice.

"Its pretty nasty," said Georgette. She knew she was going to have to deal with her feet at some point or she could get a deep infection. She untied the cloth and slowly unwrapped her feet. Candice gasped in horror as the cloth fell away to reveal her mutilated feet.

"You need to do something about that!" she said, "You could get gangrene!" Georgette already knew in her mind what Candice was going to suggest but played dumb about it.

"It'll heal over time," she said. Candice pointed out the bone shining through the deep gashes and the blackened skin.

"That will NOT heal over time, your toes are gonna have to come off."

"It'll be fine," said Georgette.

"The infection will spread and your entire foot will have the come off!" said Candice, "Don't be stupid about this." Georgette knew what her sister was saying was true.

"Fine," said Georgette, "But you're gonna need to sterilize the knife and find something to cauterize the wound." Candice stood up and when over to the kitchen, searching through the cupboard she pulled out a metal pan.

"I'll stick this in the fire so it'll heat up and we can sterilize the knife with the fire too." Georgette couldn't believe what was happening. It felt like a dream. Without her toes would she be able to walk?

"What about the bones?" she asked. "That knife isn't gonna be able to cut through bone. We need something to break them." Candice looked around and saw the stairs leading down to the basement.

"I'll go downstairs and see if there are any tools."

"Be careful," said Georgette, handing her a gun, "I didn't go down there so there could be walkers." Candice took the gun and headed down the stairs. Georgette listened to the sounds of her sister walking around downstairs. She couldn't believe this was happening. Was it all a dream? Would she wake up back in her bed at the house? Candice quickly reappeared, carrying a hammer in her hand.

"This is all I could find," she said. Georgette thought about smashing the hammer down onto her own toe, shattering the bone.

"You gotta be the one to do it, I can't," said Georgette. Candice looked nervous but nodded. She lifted the pan out of the fire to see it glowing with heat.

"Ready?" asked Candice. Georgette took a deep breath and then nodded

"Ya I'm ready," Georgette moved onto the couch. Candice lifted the hammer up, "Wait! Wait! Give me something to bite on so I don't clench my teeth!" Candice looked around the room and saw the bag on the floor. She quickly cut off the leather strap and handed it to her. Georgette took it and bit down on it.

"Alright now I'm ready," she said, her words slurring from behind the strap. Candice lifted the hammer again and then brought it down on her toes with all the force she could muster. The pain was unimaginable. Georgette let out a scream, tears pouring down her face as she tried to gain control of herself. She knew screaming would attract walkers. She looked down to see the bones in her middle toes shattered and flattened. Candice's face was sheet white as she looked down at what she had done. "Keep going!" said Georgette, Candice jumped at her sister's harsh tone and took the knife out of the fire. She started cutting at whatever skin and muscle was left. Georgette felt dizzy, all she could feel was pain. She saw Candice take the pan out of the fire and quickly press it to her new wounds. The smell of burning meat and flesh overwhelmed her. To her own disgust, her empty stomach growled in response. Candice quickly moved onto the next foot. "Wait! Give me a minute," she said, sitting up on the couch. She took a deep breath and said "I need some water." Candice got up and went back into the kitchen. She found a cup and opened the front door, taking a scoop of snow and then closing it. She put the cup over the fire where it quickly melted into water. Georgette took it and gulped it down, feeling the cold water trickle down into her stomach. Then they got back to it.

* * *

Candice watched her sister sleep on the couch, exhausted from the whole ordeal. Candice sat on the floor by the fire again, sipping on a glass of water. Cutting off her own sister's toes had been terrible. It made her nauseous again just thinking about it. She had managed to keep it together for Georgette and finish the task. Georgette had always done so much for her and watched over her. Now that her sister needed her she had to step up to the plate for the first time in her life. She had managed to save the big toe on her left foot so hopefully she wouldn't loose all of her balance, but she would definitely need some time to get used to walking around. She wondered how long they were going to have to stay in this cabin. It was well protected by thick brush and for now, the heavy thick snow on the ground but Candice knew that meant nothing. If walkers had found their home with Angela then they could certainly find this house. Candice's stomach growled in hunger. She knew they needed to go hunting for food but with Georgette injured it was up to her. She got up and put on her sister's winter jacket. Her's was still soaking wet from falling through the ice. She picked up her gun and opened the front door. She wouldn't be gone long, just enough to find some squirrels or if she was lucky, a deer.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks again everyone for reviewing :) I'm officially on Christmas vacation so I'll be updating a lot. I intend to make this a long story so Beth and Daryl's relationship isn't going to take off immediately, I want them to slowly fall in love.**

Beth focused on the target, a red spray painted circle on the tree in front of her.

"Good," said Daryl from behind her, "Now when you're ready, shoot." Beth pulled the trigger. The arrow shot through the air and hit the middle of the target. After an hour of practicing she had finally got it. She jumped into the air with excitement and turned around and pulled him into an unexpected hug.

"Thanks so much Daryl!" she said. She could feel him hesitate at first and then lightly put his arms around her.

"No problem," he said gruffly. She pulled away from him and said

"How do you do it so fast? It took me that long to finally hit the target." He shrugged and said

"Lots of practice." They headed back up to the house.

"So what are the plans for the rest of the day?" asked Beth.

"I was thinkin' about going huntin'. Hopefully I can find something better than just squirrels."

"Are we gonna go back out and look for them?" asked Beth. Daryl turned to her.

"If they're out there they'll see that sign, there ain't a point in going up and down the road over 'n over again." Beth knew what he said made sense but still felt like they needed to do something to search for the others. "I promise we'll keep lookin' Beth but for now we needa stay here, build up our strength and store up some food. Then we can move on." She felt like protesting, telling him they needed to start looking as quickly as possible but she knew he was right. They were no good to the others if they were weak, starved or worse, dead. She nodded and said

"Well then I guess we should get comfortable here," they were both still covered in dirt, sweat and dried blood. "I need to shower or something." They went upstairs and tried the shower in the bathroom. Nothing came out. She wasn't much of a high maintenance girl but she needed to clean off somehow. "Didn't you say there was a pond around here?" He caught onto what she was thinking and said

"You can't go in that what if a walker finds you?"

"I'll bring a gun with me," she said. She saw him debating it in his head.

"Fine but I'm comin' with you,"

"No you're not I'm taking my bath privately," Beth felt herself blush as the words tumbled of her mouth, "I'm not getting naked in front of you." Daryl looked shocked and under all the dirt, she thought she could see his own face turning red.

"I ain't suggestin' that!" he said, his voice raised in embarrassment, "I'll just stay nearby and hunt so if you need help you can call." Beth contemplated what he was saying. Any other male she might not have agreed, but she trusted Daryl.

"Fine," she said. She went into the bedroom and pulled out the shampoo, conditioner and soap from their bag. She saw the closed closet over in the corner and went over and opened it up.

"Whatcha lookin' for?" asked Daryl.

"Clothes," said Beth, "There'd be no point in bathing and putting back on dirty clothes." She found a dusty T-shirt and old pair of shorts that looked a bit big for her. "These'll do," she said, dusting them off.

"You gonna bathe after me?" she asked. Daryl grunted indifferently, he had never been one to care much about his appearance, especially since the world had started ending. She pulled out a shirt and pair of pants for him and tossed them to him. She repeated what she said earlier. "If we're gonna stay here might as well get comfortable." They headed back outside and Daryl led the way through the woods. When the pond came in sight Beth was happy to see that it was on the larger side and the water looked clean and not stagnant. She put the fresh clothes and a handgun on a rock next to the pond and turned to Daryl.

"You can go, I'll call if I need anything," he nodded awkwardly and went off into the woods. She waited until she could no longer see him in the trees before she started stripping. She dipped her foot in the water. It was cool and would feel good in the thick summer heat. She walked in without hesitation until she was up to her hips. She dove in head first. The water felt amazing. She surfaced and saw that most of the dirt and blood had been washed away. The bottom was muddy but she paid no attention as she savored the feeling of the water on her bare skin. She went back up on shore and got the bar of soap. She scrubbed hard at her skin, removing every layer of dirt, blood and sweat. She had almost forgotten how fair her skin was as it washed off. She then started roughly massaging the shampoo and conditioner into her head. Her golden hair started to show through again as she washed it out. After she was done she floated on her back, enjoying the sun beating down on her skin. She felt the cleanest she had in a long time.

She wondered how long Daryl expected to stay at the house. It was still the dead of summer but when fall and winter came they would no longer have the luxury of bathing in the pond or walking around the house comfortably. She swam upright and searched for the bottom with her feet. She couldn't find it. She hadn't realized the pond was so deep and swam closer to shore. The horrifying thought that walkers could be at the bottom there crossed her mind. It'd grab her ankle and drag her down before she could even scream. She pushed it out of her mind as she heard a rustling in the bushes. She sunk into the water, covering herself up to her collarbone.

* * *

Daryl stalked through the forest, following the tracks of a deer. He found some fresh droppings back along the path and had been tracking it for awhile now. That's when he heard a gun shot go off in the distance. It was Beth, he was sure of it. The sound had come from the direction of the pond. Forgetting about the deer he ran back through the woods, his heart pounding. When he came in sight of the pond and saw Beth in the water. She was up to her neck but was holding the handgun above the water with her hand. He saw two walkers approaching her on the shore, there was one dead on the ground. She shot again and missed.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he said angrily. She turned to look at him, fear, embarrassment and shock playing across her face all at the same time.

"They just appeared, I didn't wanna disturb you!" He quickly shot both the walkers with his crossbow.

"Come on let's go!" he said, "No doubt you just caught the attention of a whole bunch of 'em!" He went behind a tree while she quickly got dressed, then the two headed back to the house. "What the hell were you thinkin'!?" he said, "What if there's a herd passin' through, they could be on their way here right now!" She looked miserable standing there, still dripping wet and looking down at the floor in embarrassment. He tried not to notice how the wet white shirt stuck to her chest, making it almost completely see through. "What was goin' through your mind?!" She looked up at him angrily.

"I was just trying to take care of things myself! I didn't want you to have to come running to my rescue while you tracking for food! I didn't think about the sound the bullet would make."

"Well next time think before you try somethin'," he said. The sun was setting and Daryl went into the kitchen. "Help me get this stuff upstairs," he said grabbing onto the food they'd gotten at the store. "We're gonna have to stay up in the room 'til tomorrow mornin', can't risk 'em seein' us and tryin' to break in." Beth still looked angry but she quickly followed his orders, grabbing onto the remainder of the food. Daryl made sure the front door was locked and moved the couch in front of it before heading upstairs. The sun was starting to set and he went around the room and closed all the shades, plunging them into darkness.

"What are you doing?" said Beth.

"We can't let them see us," he said. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dark and he shut the bedroom door and out a chair in front of it.

"I think your overreacting," said Beth, crossing her arms.

"Look outside," said Daryl. Beth walked over to the window and peeked outside, sure enough there was a new group of walkers lurking around the yard. Daryl had proved his point.

"Sorry," she said, Daryl felt satisfaction in knowing he had been right but a part of him felt bad for Beth. She didn't have a lot of experience killing walkers. Back at the prison she had rarely ever went outside. Being Judith's surrogate mother required her to be inside with her all the time. The most she had done was go around and stab them through the fence.

"I didn't mean to yell at ya like that," he said, "I just wanna make it outta this alive and find the rest of the group." He paused, "I need to keep you safe." He saw her expression soften at that.

"I guess I should of called out for you," she said, "I just want to be able to handle myself, you may not always be here and-" He stopped her there.

"I'll always be here," he said in a voice full of certainty. "I ain't goin' no where, I'm a survivor Beth, always have been. As long as you're here, I'll be here." For the first time he pulled her into a hug rather then her being the one to initiate it. He wrapped his arms around her, she felt tiny compared to him, thin and small in his big arms. The sun had completely set now and there was no light in the room. He heard her voice muffled in his jacket

"Are they still out there?" Daryl pulled away and peeked out the window again, this time there were even more.

"Ya," he said. She looked worried and unsettled.

"What if they get in?" she asked, looking over at the door.

"They won't," he said "If we keep quiet they won't even know we're here."

* * *

Beth surprisingly was able to fall asleep that night but it was troubled. She could feel herself tossing and turning throughout the night. Then she had nightmares. No matter how light of a sleep she was getting, the nightmares were crystal clear in her mind. It took her back to the prison the day her father had been murdered. He was kneeling on the ground with the governor standing over him, but instead of Michonne kneeling next to him it was Maggie. She stood behind the fence alone, everyone was gone, it was just her. She watched as the Governor took of the head of both her father and Maggie. She was screaming and crying at the fence, unable to do anything, completely powerless. Suddenly she was being shaken awake. She opened her eyes to see Daryl above her. She felt completely disorientated. She sat up and looked wildly around the room, tears pouring down her face.

"Maggie's dead! She's dead!" Daryl hushed her and said

"No, she's fine, it's gonna be ok," But Beth wasn't listening, in her mind the image of Maggie's severed head on the ground wouldn't go away. She tried to get away from him, but he held her down.

"It was just a nightmare," he said. Beth's mind had started to calm down but she was still hyperventilating. He hushed her again and told her to take deep breathes. After a few minutes she managed to calm herself completely down. Daryl tried to move back to the couch but Beth grabbed his wrist.

"Please stay," she said, "Just for tonight." He hesitated for a moment before moving back the covers and getting in with her. She felt him lying behind her, although no part of his body was actually touching her. Just his presence made her feel better. Sleep came much easier and she was soon in a deep slumber.


	8. Chapter 8

Georgette woke up the next morning to see Candice cooking something over the fire. She was able to push herself up so she was sitting.

"Whatcha cooking?" she asked.

"I got a rabbit," said Candice, turning the meat over the fire. "It's almost done cooking."

"Have you been up all night?" asked Georgette.

"No," she said, "I went out early this morning." She was in no condition to reprimand her sister for going out alone without letting her know so she just slumped back down on the couch. "How are you feeling?" asked Candice.

"Alright," said Georgette. She was the weakest she ever felt and she hated it.

"You still look really pale," said Candice, "You should keep resting."

"I can't," she said, slowly turning herself so her feet were hanging off the couch. "Don't have time for rest, what if we get attacked?"

"Then I'll take care of it," said Candice.

"Really stepping up to the plate aren't you?" asked Georgette.

"I guess," said Candice.

"Well you don't have to," said Georgette, "I'm fine." She pushed herself up off the couch and tried to take her first step. She fell flat on her face. She had absolutely no balance. It was a weird feeling. She had never realized how much she used her toes to stay on her feet. Candice stood up in shock.

"Are you trying to get yourself even more hurt?!" she said. She grabbed onto Georgette's arm and helped her back onto the couch. She felt her ribs painfully grind together again. With all the commotion she'd almost forgotten about her broken ribs. She knew there was nothing she could do for broken ribs, they'd heal themselves over time, but until then it'd be highly uncomfortable. She felt Candice unwrapping the cloth from her feet and looking at the cauterized wound. "It's healing well," she said, "But if you continue to try and walk it won't."

"We can't just stay here like sitting ducks, we've got to so something," said Georgette. She wasn't even exactly sure what they were supposed to do. They couldn't go back to the house, it was no doubt overrun with walkers. But she didn't want to stay here either. It didn't feel like home, but what was home now?

"What do you suggest we do?" asked Candice, "Just wander around aimlessly? We've got food and shelter here, you're hurt and we're deep in the woods, we need to stay here."

"Ya well we thought we were 'deep in the woods' before but looked what happened," said Georgette.

"Well I don't know where you want to run off to but I'm staying here." Georgette didn't reply, she knew Candice was right. There was no where to go, but she felt like running. Running away and never coming back. Candice finished cooking the rabbit and took it off the fire. She cut it into two pieces and handed one to Georgette.

"Thanks," said Georgette. She hated feeling weak. She was useless to herself and her sister. She felt a shot of pain go through her foot and groaned in pain, trying not to show it.

"Thank god we held onto the bags," said Candice. She pulled out a bottle of pills and tossed it to Georgette. "I almost forgot, I managed to get some painkillers there, it was the last bottle I could find." Georgette opened up the bottle and took two pills.

When they were finished eating the two girls sat in silence. Candice held her knees into her chest, staring into the fire, the flames dancing in her blue eyes. Georgette still lay on the couch, her arm over her eyes, trying to somehow block out the world. She heard her sister start singing, her soft voice echoing in the empty house.

"You are loved just as you are, Can you feel it in your precious heart."

"Angela used to sing that to us when we were little," said Georgette, instantly recognizing the song.

"Ya," said Candice. She paused before she started singing again. "You are safe, you are home..."

* * *

_"You are held, you're never alone. The light you are could make angels sing. So grateful for the love and joy you bring."_

_"That's beautiful Beth," said Angela. Beth turned to her and smiled, the girls were fast asleep and the two women crept out of the room and shut the door._

_"Thanks," said Beth, sitting down on the couch._

_"Where'd you learn to sing like that?" asked Angela. Beth shrugged_

_"I've always loved to sing, my mom used to sing me that when I was little."_

_"I used to sing my daughter to sleep," said Angela, "Even when she got older and she'd wake up from a nightmare or something, I was always there." Beth saw the sadness in her eyes. She couldn't imagine what it felt like to loose a daughter. She remembered seeing the same look in Carol's eyes years ago when she lost Sophia. She pulled her into a hug and said_

_"You'll see her again someday, she's in a better place now." Angela pulled away and said_

_"Thanks for having me over,"_

_"It was no problem," said Beth, "I like having the extra help when Daryl's out."_

_"Will he be back soon?" asked Angela._

_"Should be," said Beth, looking out the window into the night, "He went to have a drink at the fire with some of the other guys." The fire pit was in the center of the town, it was a place for them to go hangout and sit around the fire and talk. It was the equivalent of a bar._

_"Well I'll see you tomorrow then," she said, opening the door and leaving. Beth blew out the candles in the main room. She checked on the girls one more time before going to her bedroom. It was a cold night and instead of waiting up in the living room she crawled under the covers to keep warm, keeping the candle lit. She let out a sigh as she relaxed into the pillow. She couldn't believe things were as good as they were. They had come into the town, starving, dirty, and she had been eight months pregnant. They had given them a house to live in, food and medical attention. She couldn't believe how developed the place was. From the looks of it, it had been a campground. But they had done a good job in turning it into a livable place. It was surrounded by fences and they had built several cabins to house everyone. All of the cabins had a main room where there was two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a living area. It was paradise. In fact, the community had gotten so big half had split off and went to organize another town somewhere further down south. She rolled onto her side and thought about Maggie, if only she was there, then it would be perfect. Suddenly the candle went out and she felt two big arms wrap around her from behind. Knowing it was Daryl she didn't scream. She smiled and said_

_"How was the fire pit?"_

_"'S good," he said, getting in next to her. She felt his bare body press against her. "The girls asleep?" he asked._

_"Ya," she said. She could feel his warm lips kissing down her neck. "Angela came over for a bit, I think she really like being with girls." He let out a grunt as he continued to kiss her neck. "She lost her husband and her daughter around the same time. Maybe it's good if she comes over and hangs out with girls more." He moved down to kissing her collarbone, sending shivers through her body. "Are you listening to anything I'm saying?" she asked._

_Hm, oh ya, sure," he said, clearly not having of heard anything she had said. She could feel his erection pressing into her._

_"What is it you want?" she said smirking._

_"I think you know what I want," he said. His hand found its way under her shirt and started squeezing her breasts. She giggled as he pulled her onto her back and got on top of her. He had a wild look in his eyes as he roughly pulled her shirt over her head, leaving her half naked. Her nipples hardened at the cold air and he quickly moved down from her collarbone to her chest, taking one of her nipples in his mouth and slowly sucking it. She whimpered and wrapped her legs around his waist, grabbing at his back with her hands. Suddenly he got off of her and before she knew what was happening he had flipped her onto her belly and dragged her to the edge of the bed so her knees were on the floor. She felt him pull her pants off, leaving her just in panties. He started to slowly stroke her through the thin material. She felt like an electric current was going through her body as he leaned over and started whispering in her ear._

_"You like that sweetheart?" His voice was low and full of lust. He pushed her panties aside and started fingering her. She could feel her own wetness on her thighs. He kissed down her back, leaving small love bites as he went. She wanted him now._

_"Daryl," she moaned._

_"What is it baby girl?" he asked._

_"I need you," she heard him laugh huskily. He pulled her panties off and teased her, moving his hard cock over her ass._

_"Whatdya need?" he asked. Her voice was caught in her throat. "What is it?"_

_"Fuck me," she said. He didn't need to be told twice. He thrust into her, letting out a low moan. He started out slow, not giving her satisfaction until she was begging for it. He picked up the pace, slamming into her, the sound of skin against skin filling the room. It felt amazing as he filled her up completely. She felt him gripping onto her hips so she couldn't move. He loved being the dominant one and she was happy to let him do it. She whimpered his name as she felt the warmth build in her stomach and thighs._

_"Come on girl," he said, "Cum for me." She gripped onto the bed covers, feeling the pleasure build and finally release. She saw stars as he continued to thrust into her. Seconds later he reached his climax, his thrusts becoming sloppy as he finished inside her. He collapsed onto the bed next to her. He let out a long sigh and said_

_"I love you," She looked at him lying next to her, an expression of pure bliss on his face._

_"I love you too."_


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks everyone for reviewing :) If things seem boring now they'll be spicing up soon lol ;) Just trying not to rush things and move things along at a realistic pace.**

Daryl woke up the next morning to find Beth still in the bed with him. She must of moved in her sleep because she was way closer to him than she had been when they went to sleep. She was pressed into his chest. He tried to push the idea that he liked it out of his mind and got up to look out the window. There didn't seem to be as many walkers as last night but there was still a good amount lurking around. He got his crossbow, opened the window and took aim. One by one he shot them down. He heard Beth sit up on the bed behind him.

"What are you doing?" she asked groggily.

"Gettin' rid of the walkers," he said, not looking back at her. She stood up and came next to him, watching him take the last few down. He then left the room and went to the bedroom down the hall that faced the front of the house. She followed close behind. There were only a few in the front yard, nothing he couldn't handle.

"Gotta go get my arrows," he said, once he'd hit the last walker. They headed downstairs, Beth in front of him. He heard her gasp of fear as she turned the corner into the living room. There was a walker standing there in the middle of the room. It started coming towards them, he reached for another arrow to use but realized he was all out. He cursed, searching his pockets for something to use. Beth was frozen in fear. He remembered his pocket knife and took that out. He quickly moved past Beth and pounded the knife into the walker's head. Beth still stood behind him in shock. He picked the body up by the arms and started dragging it towards the door. "Could you come open the door for me?" he asked. She snapped out of whatever fear induced trance she was in and hurried to help him. Once she had opened the door he dragged the body out on the front lawn.

"How do you think he got in?" she asked.

"I dunno," said Daryl, looking around the house for any broken windows. "The door was still closed when we came down."

"Maybe we should get a few of them tied to the house so it keeps others away," said Beth.

"I'll get to it later," he said. His stomach suddenly let out a loud growl. He hadn't had venison in a while now and he had a craving for it. "What are your plans for the day?" he asked.

"I thought we could go out and look around some more," said Beth with a hopeful look on her face.

"I told you we have to build up a sustainable amount of supplies so we can move on from here," he said. He saw her face fall and hoped to God she wouldn't start crying. He was never good with crying girls.

"Fine," she said, "I'll take the car myself." He laughed and said

"You're funny if you think you're goin' anywhere without me girl." Her expression changed to anger.

"I want to do something!" she said, "What do you expect me to do? Sit here back at the house while you go out and hunt?" She had a point. He handed her a large knife and a pistol.

"Go sit at the end of the road and watch out for any passing cars, only use that gun if you absolutely have to," he said, "We don't want a repeat of last night."

* * *

Beth sat in the soft overgrown grass on the side of the road, leaning against the sign she had put up. It simply read "Prison Group" with an hour leading down the dirt road to the house. Out of boredom, she was working on making and tying together a small crown of twigs and grass. She'd been out there for three hours now, and nothing had happened. She couldn't believe Daryl wasn't letting her do anything. Back at the prison, when she had Judith to look after it was understandable that she never went out on runs but now that it was just the two of them she wanted him to look at her as more than just a little girl and as a woman. She instantly came out of her thoughts when she heard the distant sound of a car. She stood up out the grass and listened closely. It was coming from the south. She quickly hid herself in the trees, in case it was someone else. She saw the car coming down the road. It didn't look like any of the vehicles they had back at the prison. As it drove by she caught a glimpse of the person sitting in the front seat. It was a man she didn't recognize. She fought with herself on whether she should jump out and flag him down. He could know some of the people from the prison, or maybe he would kill Daryl, take all of their food and rape her. Before she could decide the car was already gone. Feeling excited she ran back down the road. Maybe Daryl was back already. She ran into the house to find it empty. The car didn't looked packed or like it had been driven a long distance. The man had to of just been going on a run. Maybe they'd see his car again.

"What are you doin'?" She turned around to see Daryl who was holding a large deer carcass over his shoulder.

"I just saw a car!" she said. He seemed to light up with interest.

"Was it anybody we knew?"

"No," said Beth, "There was a man in the car."

"Did you let 'im see you?!" he asked.

"No," said Beth, "But he couldn't have been a traveler, his car wasn't packed at all, he has to have a camp somewhere close by. Maybe he knows where the rest of the group is!" she said.

"We can't take that risk," said Daryl, "We have no idea who he is. For now we gotta keep a low profile." Changing the subject he hoisted the deer higher on his shoulder and said

"I got dinner," she smiled and said

"Good I was getting sick of squirrels and canned soup."

* * *

Daryl lit a fire in the fireplace and got to work on cutting up the deer meat. Beth sat behind him on the couch watching him cut up the meat into pieces.

"Gonna be the best fuckin' meal we've had in weeks," said Daryl, his mouth already watering. When he was done, he cleaned everything up and put one of the pieces on a pan over the fire.

"I can do this for you," said Beth coming over and sitting next to him on the floor, "You haven't bathed in a long time, you should go now before the sun goes down completely. I'll stay here and watch the food." He knew she'd be fine.

"Alright," he said, getting up. "But if anything goes wrong, just holler."

"I know," she said, rolling her eyes. He got everything together and headed down to the pond.

Jumping into the water felt like heaven. He usually didn't give a shit, taking a shower was not at the top of his priority list, but it felt amazing. The cool water soothed every part of his body. As he washed off, every bruise, sun burn and cut seemed to melt away. He closed his eyes and floated on the surface. He must have lost track of the time because when he opened his eyes again it was dark out. He quickly got out, pulled on a pair of jeans and headed back to the house. He found Beth eating a piece of meat off a plate, a platter of cooked meat sitting on the couch next to her. He saw her gaze linger on his bare chest before she said

"Dinner's ready," He threw everything down and sat down on the couch next to her and dug in. She watched him pick up a piece of meat from the plate and viciously bite into it.

"You eat like an animal," she said, laughing. He took another big bite and half of it fell onto his chest. For a split second he imagine her licking it off of him, making her way down to his stomach, kissing along his waist, and then- His thoughts were broken as she took the meat from him and said

"Didn't your mother teach you any manners?" She had meant it playfully but the thought of his mother killed the mood. Beth noticed the change in him instantly.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nuthin'," he said. Flashbacks of his mother came without warning. The putrid stench of her cigarettes, how he'd find her passed out drunk on the couch most nights, her voice yelling at him, calling him a little shit and beating him. He didn't even want to let his thoughts wander to his father. He jumped when he felt Beth put her small hand over his clenched fist. He looked into her eyes. They were deep blue pools of concern. She didn't even have to talk to make him cave into talking. "My childhood wasn't the best," he said. He leaned over and ran his hands over his face, into his hair. "Had shitty parents," he said, not wanting to elaborate. It's not like Beth could understand. She had lived a sheltered life of on a farm with the perfect family. He suddenly felt her hands tracing the scars on his back. He hadn't meant to show them to her. He looked up at her. He could see that she understood him by the way she was staring at him. Most of the women who had ever seen his scars had pressed him for more information and pouted at him when he didn't tell them but she leaned away and said

"We all have bad stories, we just have to learn from them and make sure history doesn't repeat itself." He knew she was right. Even though she wasn't his daughter, when Judith was born he knew she needed to be nurtured, the exact opposite of his childhood. He had never thought much about being a father but he knew that any child of his would never be treated the way he was. He wasn't going to let history repeat itself like he'd seen with so many other families before the world went to shit. She handed him back his food and said

"Finish up, you look tired, you could use some extra sleep." Usually he wouldn't let anyone tell him about what they thought 'he needed' or what he should do but instead he smiled at her and said

"Thanks Beth."


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks everyone for your reviews and support :) I have added pictures of Candice and Georgette as children in my profile.**

It was the middle of the night and Georgette could not sleep, it had been four days since they'd come to the cabin. A steady stream of pain medication had kept her feet from bothering her much but she still couldn't sleep. Candice was asleep in a large armchair across the room. She was restless and wanted to get up and move. Her sister had went out and hunted for the past few days. She'd caught a deer, several squirrels, and rabbits. They had a good supply and weren't going to bed hungry anymore. While Georgette was proud of her sister for stepping up and taking things over, she couldn't help and feel slightly bitter about the fact she was stuck on the couch. Georgette leaned over off the couch and grabbed a log from the pile next to the couch and carefully tossed it onto the fire, sending sparks flying. She lay on her stomach, her right hand hanging off the couch. She closed her eyes and managed to sleep through the next few hours until the sun came up. She fully awoke when she heard Candice get out of the chair. She looked out the window to see it was snowing.

"Good morning," said Candice.

"Morning," said Georgette, lying back down. She watched her sister go over to the fridge. All of the meat had been stored inside with fresh snow to keep it fresh.

"That's a lot of food we've got," said Georgette. Candice started cooking breakfast over the fire.

"It is," said Candice.

"We should think about moving on," said Georgette, "Not now but in the spring, we can take everything with us, maybe find some other people. Just think of how better off we'd be if we went and found a big group to be with," said Georgette, "We'd have something to live for, to protect, we'd meet new people."

"We can move on in the spring," said Candice. Although she agreed, that had to be at least two months away, it had to around December. Things would start thawing out in March or April.

Candice finished cooking and the girls ate in silence. When Georgette was finished she sat up on the couch and untied the cloth from her toes. While it still looked like it was healing it looked clean and healthy, there no sign of an infection.

"Today's the day," she said, "I gotta start learning how to walk again." Candice stood up and came to her side. "I can do it," she said. Georgette stood up. She wobbled a bit but managed to stay up. It felt strange, she wanted to lean forward further, her subconscious mind still thinking her toes were there. She carefully put her right foot forward, and then lifted her left. She quickly lost her balance and fell over onto the floor, catching herself with her hands. Candice grabbed onto her arm to try and help her back up. It was humiliating, she felt like a weakling. "I can do it myself," she said, slowly getting back to her feet. She kept all of her weight balanced on the back of her foot and took a few awkward steps around the room. She almost went over again, but she leaned against the wall to stop herself.

"Don't push yourself, you've got all winter to get back on your feet," said Candice, walking behind her. Georgette slowly went back over the couch and sat down.

* * *

Candice left her sister and went hunting. Her goal was to fill the fridge completely with meat so they'd be set for the cold month of January. She carefully made her way through the thick snow, and sat down underneath a tree and got herself settled in, making sure her gun was loaded. She hadn't seen many walkers. When she did they were frozen in the snow. She always made sure that where ever she sat down, there wasn't any walkers frozen under the snow around her or underneath her. She listened to the forest around her for the sound of any activity. She had a good sense of hearing, smell and sight and was a good hunter and tracker. As she sat and waited she thought about her sister's words. The idea of being with a group thrilled her. She longed to meet more people. As eager as she was she knew they couldn't do anything until the snow melted and Georgette could run and defend herself.

* * *

_Georgette was looking down on the couple from above. They had finally stopped running. The man had put the blonde girl down to sit against a tree, he was leaned over, trying to catch his breath. The girl looked like she was in complete shock and devastation. The man came down onto his knees, looking exhausted and angry. The girl got on her feet._

_"We've gotta go back!" she said running off back into the woods. The man ran after her and easily caught her in his arms, holding her._

_"We can't!" he said. The girl was hysterical as she tried to break free from him._

_"I've gotta go back!" she yelled, struggling. "MY DADDY'S BACK THERE!"_

_"Calm down Beth!" It was like a new eye had been opened. Beth the man had called the girl Beth. That was her mother's name. The girl had blonde hair and the same delicate features of Candice that she hadn't noticed before. "The place is overrun with walkers, there ain't no goin' back." The girl seemed to fight him some more and then just completely collapsed in exhaustion and went limp in his arms. The man picked her up and carried her back to the small clearing they'd been in. He set her down on a patch of soft grass and started getting together wood for a fire. The girl lay there and watched him, her eyes half closed. He noticed her watching and said_

_"Just sleep darlin' I'll be here," The girl closed her eyes. The man continued on with what he was doing._

* * *

The sound of a door slamming woke her. She saw Candice coming inside, carrying two dead rabbits with her.

"Sorry I woke you," she said, setting her things down. Georgette was to frazzled to reply.

"I saw her," she said, looking up at her sister with wide eyes. Candice looked confused.

"Who'd you see?"

"That woman, the blonde girl from my dreams-" Candice didn't let her finish,

"Oh another bad dream?"

"That woman is our mother I'm almost sure of it." Candice looked even further confused.

"Are you alright?" she asked, "Maybe you have been confined in here for too long."

"No," said Georgette, frustrated her sister wasn't getting it, "The woman I've always had those dreams about, the man called her Beth,"

"Well what happened?" asked Candice.

"They were running through the forest, and the girl was trying to run back somewhere because they had left her dad or something, and the man stopped her and he called her Beth!"

"Maybe it was just a dream cooked up in your imagination," said Candice.

"I don't know, it seemed pretty realistic to me." Candice just shrugged and got to skinning the rabbits. Her whole disinterested demeanor shocked Georgette. "Don't you wanna know who our parents are?"

"It was a long time ago Gigi," she said, not looking up from her work, "And Angela, the one person who would know anything is dead. What do you think the chances of them still being alive after twenty years are? Slim to none in this world."

"There's gotta be someone out there who knows something," said Georgette.

"People who are hundreds of miles away on the other side of the country," said Candice.

"You're being so negative about this," said Georgette.

"I just don't see the point in trying," said Candice, "Angela took good care of us, she told us enough to satisfy me."

"How can you say that?!" asked Georgette, her anger starting to boil. "When the snow starts to thaw we should go to Georgia, try to figure it all out. Just think we could have other family members out there looking for us too!"

"We don't even have a map!" said Candice, "We could get there and find out nothing, we should try to find a group here. We know the area and we've always lived here." Georgette was sick of arguing. She was shocked at her sister's hostile attitude.

"Whatever," she said, "I'm just gonna try and figure out more information." Candice laughed and said

"How are you gonna do that?"

"By dreaming," she said, rolling back over so she was facing the back of the couch. She closed her eyes and tried to reconstruct the appearance of the man and the girl. The man was much older than the girl, who had looked to be a teenager. The man had to be in his 30's or 40's. Was he her father? He couldn't of been the girl's father as she had mentioned wanting to go back to find him. He seemed to deeply care about the girl, but there was nothing that solidly indicated a romance. She was determined to figure it out and as soon as she was back on her feet she'd go searching for a map of the United States. She knew there was one in the history book she had been reading but that was back at their old house. She'd need to find a school and take another one.

In her mind she was preparing for the trip already. They'd need a car or horses to travel on. They couldn't move on foot with all of their supplies. Georgette preferred cars to horses, it would be hard to find a tamed horse as most of them were wild.

* * *

_"Angela come quick and see!" Georgette stood on her tippy toes at the window looking out into the field. A large herd of horses had settled there, grazing on the grass. Angela came next to her, holding her two year old sister's hand. Angela held Candice up to the window so she could see._

_"Look Candice horses!" said Georgette. Candice rubbed her tiny hand on the window, laughing and pointing at the horses. "Can we please go out and see them!" begged Georgette. Angela smiled and said_

_"Sure," she reached into a bowl on the kitchen counter and handed the girls two apples, "We'll take these out to see if we can feed them." It was a hot summer day and Georgette opened the door and went outside barefoot. Angela followed close behind, on the lookout for any walkers. Georgette was amazed at all of the horses. They were beautiful, their coats were splashed with all different colors. "Now hold out the apple in your hand and make sure that your hand is flat so they don't think your finger is a carrot," said Angela laughing. Georgette did as she was told, holding out the apple on her flat hand. One of the horses noticed her and pricked its ears forward and slowly approached her. The excitement was bursting her chest but she remained absolutely still. The horse reached forward and sniffed at the apple before taking a bite. Georgette smiled as the horse chewed and took another bite. She turned to her little sister who was watching in awe._

_"Now its your turn Candice," She gave her sister the remainder of the apple. She made sure her sister's hand was flat before letting her step forward. The horse took the rest of the apple. Candice squealed with excitement which made the horse nervously take a few steps back. Candice clapped her hands and ran back over to Angela, clinging to her leg with a small smile. "It's ok they won't hurt you," said Georgette laughing at her sister's reaction. Georgette took another apple and offered it the horse again. Soon enough she had five of them nuzzling her for more. They sniffed at her clothes in curiosity, snorting, their whiskers tickling her skin. "Can we leave more for them Angela pleeeassse," said Georgette, "Maybe they'll wanna come live here with us if we keep giving them food!" Angela laughed and said_

_"Sure sweetheart," She went back inside and came out with a whole bowl of apples. "It's getting kind of late we should probably head inside, but we can leave the apples out here for them," said Angela. The sun was setting over the mountains and Georgette didn't argue._

_"Alright, maybe they'll be here tomorrow morning!" Angela took her hand and led her back inside._


	11. Chapter 11

They were going on a run again. While they were well supplied with food and medication they needed to find some new clothes. All they had to wear was the tattered clothes they'd escaped the prison with, and the few T-shirts they'd found in the closet. Daryl kept his eyes open for any other cars on the road. Beth's report of seeing an unknown car didn't thrill him. That meant someone else was in the area, which could mean trouble for them. He pulled into the town and saw the message Beth had spray painted on the wall still there.

"Look for a store that has clothes," he said, driving down the main street. They came to the end of the street and Beth pointed out a storefront on the corner.

"It looks like that place could have some," she said. Daryl pulled the car over and checked for any walkers nearby before getting out. Beth was right. The store looked like some little boutique, there was a mannequin standing in the window with a dress on. "How beautiful," said Beth, smiling up at the mannequin. Daryl couldn't blame her, when was the last time she'd been able to go shopping. Daryl went in before her, his crossbow up, checking for any walkers. He spotted one in the corner and quickly shot it in the head. The rest of the store seemed to be clear so he let Beth go in. He saw her spot a rack of dresses in the corner. They weren't casual dresses but evening gowns, like the ones the girls wore to prom. Although he'd never gone to his own prom never mind finish high school, he'd heard the local girls talk about it like it was some big deal. He saw Beth pull a pink sparkly puffy gown off the rack and hold it up to her body. He suddenly felt a twinge of annoyance. She needed to take this seriously, they needed to get some clothes and get out.

"Come on girl," he said, "Put down the dress and find some real clothes to wear." She didn't seem to hear him as she continued to look through the rack.

"I never got to go to my prom," she said, "But I remember when Maggie went to her's, she wore a beautiful red dress and did her hair up nice, I wish I could of done it."

"It's not that excitin'," he said, "I'm sure you didn't miss anythin'."

"Oh come on," she said, "You never went to prom?"

"Hell no," he said, "I was out in the woods, fendin' for myself."

"Well it's never too late," she said. She pointed out a suit hanging on the wall. "Get a suit and we can have our own prom." He saw her cheeks redden at the request. He laughed and said

"Ain't no way you're gettin' me into one of those things." He was pretty sure he'd never worn a suit in his entire life.

* * *

Beth was feeling brave, she knew Daryl's cold personality when it came to things he didn't like or wasn't comfortable with but it was one request she couldn't resist asking. The thought of her father, Maggie and the others was weighing down on her mind, she wanted to do something fun to take the pain away and distract her for awhile.

"Pleeease," she said, "We can have our own little celebration, all we've been doing is surviving. I can't remember the last time that I actually felt like I was living," said Beth. It was the truth, at the prison she had Judith, her father and sister to motivate her. Even then she had just been simply existing, not living. "It wouldn't hurt to do something fun." He looked at her skeptically.

"Fine," he said, "But I ain't dressin' up."

"Well can I at least bring some of these back with me?" He sighed and said

"Sure, just make sure you grab some real clothes."She rolled her eyes at him and looked through the rack. She found a beautiful long blue dress that caught her eye. It was strapless and covered in light baby blue sequins, had a slit down the front and a long train. It reminded of her something a Disney Princess would wear. She quickly slipped the dress into her bag and moved onto the rack of regular shirts and pants. She saw Daryl on the other side of the store in the men section. They worked quickly and within five minutes they were out of the store and back on the road.

"Gotta make a quick stop," he said, pulling over on the side of the road again, "I'll only be a minute, stay here." He got out and she watched him go into the liquor store. Five minutes later he came out with a full bag. She could hear the bottles clinking together inside.

"What are those for?" she asked. He devilishly smiled at her and said

"You said you wanted to have some fun didn't you?"

* * *

Daryl sat in front of the bonfire on a log, looking into the flames. It wasn't too hot or too cold out. It was the perfect temperature to have a fire. He heard the front door shut and watched as Beth walked over. She smiled and sat down next to him.

"So," she said, "How do you have fun?" He laughed and took out a large bottle of vodka from his bag. He quickly got the cork off and didn't hesitate in taking a large swig.

"You're turn," he said, holding out the bottle to her.

Beth was shocked, she had never drank before. She cautiously took it from his hands. She pressed the bottle to her lips and took a quick sip. The liquor felt like fire traveling down her throat. It warmed her belly and she scrunched up her face as her eyes watered. Daryl laughed and said

"First time drinkin'?"

"Ya," she said, suddenly her thoughts went back to her dad. If he could see her now he'd be rolling over in his grave, if he had one. Daryl noticed the change in her demeanor and said

"Take another sip, it gets better." This time Beth took a bigger sip. Her eyes watered again and she shivered at the new sensation. Daryl took out another bottle and drank some more himself. She remembered when Maggie first went off to college her father had warned her about drinking alcohol and how it would effect her. Her father had been an alcoholic himself. Determined to keep negative thoughts off her mind, she took another swig. Her legs were starting to feel loose and relaxed. The alcohol was bitter but soothing at the same time. Before she knew it she had taken at least three more swigs and the world was starting to spin. Daryl didn't seem to be effected yet, he was still sitting on the log, calmly staring into the fire. Beth however had a sudden burst of giddiness and started giggling.

"Feelin' it already?" he asked with a smirk. It was a good feeling, she hadn't felt this happy or free in a long time. She slid off the log onto the ground and continued to drink more. By the time Daryl pulled the bottle out of her hands she was gone. The world was cloudy and she felt excited and full of energy.

* * *

Daryl was astounded at her behavior, he'd never seen her act like this. "That's enough for you," he said in slurred speech, putting the bottle back in the bag. He could feel the alcohol clouding his mind but it would take a lot more to get him drunk. Beth sat back up on the log and said

"So this is how Daryl Dixon has fun," he laughed at her and said

"Ya," he took another drink and said, "Haven't had a good drink since the end of the world." She laughed at him and said,

"It's not the end of the world," she said, "We're still here." He shrugged and said

"I've been out in the woods since I was little, not much of a difference, 'cept we've got monsters chasin' us." He took another drink and Beth laughed again. "What's so funny huh princess? Never had to fend for yourself? Livin' with the perfect mommy and daddy?"

"Nah," she said, "I was just imagining you as a little kid, with a little crossbow, running around the woods." she said laughing hysterically. Half of the bottle of whiskey was gone and Daryl had lost all of his senses. He saw Beth reaching for the bottle of vodka in the bag and said

"No more for you darlin'," Not listening to him she quickly grabbed it from the bag and ran to the other side of the fire, giggling and watching him with a daring 'come and get me' expression. Feeling adventurous he got up and started chasing after her. She didn't make it far and he grabbed her from behind. He buried his face in her neck and growled,

"Come on sweetheart, gimme back the bottle." She tried to break free from him and he was suddenly very aware of her body moving against his as she struggled. He felt himself getting turned on and hoped to God she wouldn't notice it. He almost couldn't hold himself back from kissing the soft skin on her neck and pulling those shapely little hips of her's onto his lap and letting her go to town. He let out a groan as she went limp in his arms, giving up the fight. He had an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. He had dominated her, he'd shown her who was boss. He took the bottle from her hands and took her back to the fire. He sat back on the log while she sat between his legs, her head leaning back into his crouch. He was having a hard time keeping it together. Visions of her sucking on his cock flashed through his mind. Her pretty little mouth wrapped around him, teasing him. Almost as if she was reading his mind she turned around and sat up, putting her elbows on his legs and looking up at him. She didn't say anything but looked into his eyes.

"I don't think you know what you're doin' darlin'," he said, smiling at her. She just laughed and leaned in closer to him, her eyes half closed. Was she trying to kiss him? But suddenly her eyes widened and she yelled

"Daryl look out!" Quickly he stood up and grabbed his crossbow. Coming for him was a walker. It was close enough that if she hadn't of seen it, it would of definitely taken a chunk out of his shoulder. He instantly sobered up and shoot it in the head. The fun atmosphere had been broken.

"Let's get inside," he said, Beth looked disappointed,

"Awww, you're gonna let a walker ruin all our fun?"

"There could be more around," he said, pouring a bucket of water onto the fire and putting it out. He picked Beth up off the ground but it was clear she wasn't able to walk on her own. He slung the bag around his shoulder and picked her up. He could feel her curl into a ball in his arms and bury her face into his chest. He brought her upstairs to the bed and lay her down. As he walked off to go downstairs and shut the door she grabbed his wrist.

"Don't leave me," she said.

"I'll be right back darlin'." He couldn't hold himself back from using endearments, they just slipped out. He knew he was screwed the next morning. If she remembered any of this it could make things awkward. He quickly went back downstairs and shut the door, putting a chair in front of it like the night before. When he went back upstairs Beth was already under the covers, seemingly asleep, but as he quietly lay down on the couch he felt her grab his arm again. He couldn't help but comply. She had him wrapped around her finger. He slid into the bed next to her and the instant his head hit the pillow he felt her put her arm over his bare chest and lay her head next to him._ Fuck_. He couldn't get this girl off of him. He didn't want her off of him. It didn't take him long to completely pass out.

* * *

It was still dark out when Beth woke up. She was sweating and her stomach was killing her. She groaned in pain and curled into fetal position. She couldn't help but let a few tears out. A wave of nausea came over her. She quickly got up and ran into the bathroom. She just made it to the toilet as she threw up. It was all liquid and she could taste the alcohol. She sat on the floor, feeling like she was puking her guts out. It burned coming back up, just like it had going down. She heard someone walk in the doorway. She saw Daryl standing there, he didn't need to be told what was wrong, he knew instantly. He quietly came over and held her hair back for her as she continued to vomit. He ran his hand over her back trying to comfort her. She felt totally embarrassed. When she was done her stomach felt much better but she felt like complete shit, her head felt like it was being split open. She could only imagine what Daryl must think of her. A little girl who can't handle alcohol, a burden he had to look after. She wasn't even exactly sure what had happened at the fire. She remembered seeing the walker behind Daryl but that was it. He helped her up off the floor. He brought her back to the room and got a bottle of water for her which she chugged down. He seemed to know exactly what to do. He went and got her some pain medicine which she took as quickly as she could. She lay down and closed her eyes, trying not to concentrate on the pain. He lay back down next to her and continued to rub her back as she lay on her side. It took her forever to fall back asleep but Daryl stayed awake with her, making sure she didn't get sick again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks everyone for reading :) Reviews would be appreciated!**

The next couple of weeks were pure torture as all Georgette could do was lay on the couch and re-train herself to walk. Candice had managed to find her another history book in an old school so she spent most of her time reading, but even that got boring. The girls ate well and Candice worked to keep the fridge full. Georgette would often wake up in the morning alone as her sister preferred to hunt in the morning. It had to be January by now, winter was in full swing. Georgette opened up her book. She was on the Civil War now. Although the world was broken and country borders didn't matter much anymore, after reading about the Revolutionary War it had given her a patriotic feeling and it was the first time she felt like she was part of something bigger although she was years too late. America didn't exist anymore like it used too. No country did, it was one big game of survival and everyone was in it, no matter where you were from. She quickly flipped to the back of the book where there was a world map. She studied the map, looking at all of the different countries and continents. She wondered how bad things were in other places. She read names to herself, Russia, China, India, France, Italy, she was clueless about them. What kind of history did they have? What languages did they speak? Was it possible to contact them? Was the vast ocean between them impossible to cross? She needed a world history book. She knew basic facts about some of them, like England's obvious involvement in the Revolutionary War. But what other history did England have? She flipped over onto the United States map and found Wyoming. She traced her finger over to the state of Georgia. They'd have to cut through several different states to get there. It would take months and it's not like they had an exact map. They'd need a map of the roads to determine where to go. She heard the door open and quickly shut the book as Candice walked in. She had a few rabbits slung up on her back.

"Hey," she said, "How's your morning?"

"Boring," said Georgette. She slowly sat down on the floor off the couch and got to work on helping her sister skin the rabbits.

"It's gonna snow again," said Candice, "The sky is turning gray and I can feel it in the air." Last time it had snowed it had dropped enough on the ground that the doorway had been filled halfway and they had to push it out of the way to make a path which had not been easy without shovels.

"Well at least it keeps the walkers down," said Georgette.

"I keep finding them frozen in the snow," said Candice, "Sometimes they're moving a bit and some are frozen solid."

"They'll thaw out in the spring, that's when we'll need to be on our guard."

"Ya, I went further back in the woods this morning and I found a whole bunch of them underneath the snow while I was walking through. Looks like a herd." That wasn't good news. When the thawed out they'd be hungry and actively looking for food, it was like a hibernation. They'd find the cabin and overtake them.

"Even more a reason to get out of here," said Georgette. Candice didn't answer her and kept working on cutting the skin off the rabbit. "I can walk," said Georgette, "Just not run yet." She put down her bloodied knife and stood up off the floor. She walked around the room, showing Candice what she could do. Smiling she said "I can even dance a bit," she did her best attempt at a little jig. Candice laughed and said

"You're a weirdo." Georgette tried to do a twirl but lost her balance and fell to the floor, catching herself with her hands. "Soon I'll be back to normal." She examined the ends of her feet. The skin had healed nicely over where the open wounds used to be. To her it looked bizarre. The top of her feet were flat, no trace of her toes ever having of been there was left.

"Had anymore of your dreams?" asked Candice.

"I thought you didn't care?" said Georgette.

"Just asking," said Candice.

"No I haven't," said Georgette, "But hopefully I will."

* * *

January turned to February and the weather still wasn't getting any warmer. It was getting harder and harder for them to shovel the snow away from the door. It soon froze shut and they had to start using a large window at the front of the house to get out. Georgette was up and moving.

She sat behind a tree, clutching her gun to her chest in the cold. She hadn't seen anything all morning. She had left Candice back at the cabin to rest. Ever since she had been able to start hunting again she made sure Candice wasn't the one doing all the work. She sighed and pushed herself up out the snow and started to walk further into the forest, making sure she left X's in the trees along the way to find her way back. The landscape looked all the same to her and she could easily get lost. She leaned against a tree to take a small break. Trudging through the thick snow was hard work, especially when she felt like her shoes were ten sizes to big. Thanks to her being toe-less she needed to find some smaller shoes. She took a deep breath and continued on. She stopped walking when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was a building. She walked towards it and soon saw a sign that read: Glenrock High School. It was the school Candice had found for her. She walked towards it saw the open door Candice must have broken into. She cautiously entered, making sure there were no walkers in sight before going inside completely. The windows were mostly boarded up, making it dark. It was pretty damn creepy. She turned on the flashlight attached to her rifle and slowly moved down the hallway. Older lockers lined the walls, some were still open. She flashed her light inside to see that there were still things in them. One was covered in pink stickers, a magnetic mirror stuck to the wall, old books on the bottom, and several pictures taped up on the inside of the door. She got a good look at them. There were two girls, one blonde and one black-haired girl. They had their arms over each others shoulders and were smiling. Above the picture were the words 'best friends forever' in curly pink letters. Below was another picture of the same blonde girl with several other people all standing together in what looked like a ballroom. They were all dressed formally, in dresses and suits. She quickly grabbed the photos and stuck them in her bag.

She moved on into a large main room with three different hallways jutting off into different directions. She kept her gun in front of her as she looked at the wall, in large letters written on paper it read: History Wing. She was in the right place. Suddenly a walker came out of the door in front of her. She almost pulled the trigger but remembered that it could set off a whole herd so she took out her knife and quickly stabbed it in the head. She walked over its body and entered the classroom. Old desks lined the room in rows. At the head of the room was the teacher's desk and a whiteboard. On it were notes from decades ago. Something about a Roman Empire and someone named Caesar. She moved on to find stacks of World History books at the back of the room. She went through them and picked the one that looked to be in the best condition. When she turned around she was shocked to see three walkers had gathered at the front of the room. Without thinking she quickly shot all three of them and ran, sticking the book in her bag as she went. When she got into the hallway she saw walkers pouring from all of the rooms further down the hallway. Feeling cold fear she ran towards the entrance. Walkers were flooding into the main room as she ran in, their moans and snarls echoing throughout the building. They had blocked the way out. Fuck this was how it was going to end, in a dark school, all for a book. She frantically searched for a way out, her heart beating rapidly. She ran down the hallway across from her to be faced with more walkers. She opened fire, gunning them down as she went. She felt herself loose balance and she fell. Her gun went skidding across the floor and hit the wall. Shit. Shit. Shit. Her stupid fucking feet. They closed in on her. She was on her back, holding two off of her as more came towards them. She frantically reached for her knife. Their disgusting teeth were an inch away from her face, biting with loud snapping noises. Their rotting flesh fell onto her face in strips, the horrid smell was overwhelming and she felt vomit rising in her throat. She finally felt the handle of her knife and pulled it from her belt. She quickly stabbed both walkers in the head, spraying blood everywhere, and threw them off her. She scrambled for her gun and pushed a walker in front of it , smashing it's soft head into the wall, sending brains and bone everywhere. She picked up her gun and sprayed bullets into the crowd of walkers. Once she'd taken down the ones closest to her she ran down the hallway, pushing and shooting them down as she went.

When she finally reached the end of the hallway there was two heavy doors. She prayed they weren't locked and put all of her body weight onto it, pushing it open. It was a wide open room, probably a gymnasium. She felt relieved to see only a few walkers lurking around inside. She quickly shot them down and headed to a door at the back of the room were she could see light flooding through the cracks. This one was locked. She almost cried out in defeat. She could hear the approaching crowd behind her. Screaming in frustration, she shook the doors. She looked behind her to see the walkers had reached the entrance of the gym. She backed up a little and threw her entire body weight against the door. It shoke violently but didn't open. Backing up even further she did it again, pain shot through her shoulder as she slammed into the door again. This time it cracked open. She saw what was keeping it closed, half of the doorway was filled with snow. She pushed against the door with all her strength. It was a small gap but she was sure she could get herself through it. Shoving herself head first she easily got out up to her waist. Her hips were stuck. She looked back inside to see the walkers approaching. She twisted her hips and slowly made her way through the door. She pulled her feet through just as the walkers stuck their hands out the door to grab at her. With her feet she slammed the door shut again, cutting off several hands. She lay on the cold snow for a minute, catching her breath, that had been a close call. She sat up and was relieved to find the bag still around her shoulder. She got up and headed back into the woods towards the cabin. She had wanted to go see if she could find a map of the roads somewhere but she had had enough action for one day.

* * *

Georgette was exhausted when she got back. After dinner and explaining what had happened to a horrified Candice she passed out.

_Georgette found herself in the woods again. It was dawn. The blonde woman, Beth was standing in front of her, her back turned to her. Facing her was the man. "What are we gonna do?" asked Beth._

_"We can look for a house or somethin' tomorrow," said the man. "It's too dark to go lookin' now. We might as well stay here another night." Georgette looked around them to see the same fire pit and clearing from her last dream. The blonde girl rubbed her arms and seemed uneasy._

_"You don' have to worry Beth," he said, "I'm here, nothin's gonna happen to us."He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. At first he was looking onto the ground behind Beth as he embraced her, but then he looked up straight at Georgette. She took a step back, startled. Did he know she was there? He couldn't, he had to be staring out into the woods behind her. He would of said something by now. His green eyes pierced her, she wanted to speak up and say something but she kept her mouth shut. He pulled away from Beth and wrapped in arm around her shoulder._

_"Let's get somethin' to eat," he said. When he turned around Georgette was shocked to see the angel wings on the back of his jacket. It was her jacket, the one that was on her right now. She finally spoke up._

_"Hey wait!" she called out running after them, they didn't turn around to acknowledge her. Before she could reach them she woke up._

The room was dark except for moonlight flooding through the windows. Candice was asleep on the arm chair and it was quiet. She ripped the leather jacket off of her body and saw the wings. It was the same jacket, it had to be. Did it mean that man was her father?


	13. Chapter 13

**Kind of a short chapter but don't worry I'll make up for it in the next one :) Thanks to all my new followers and to everyone reviewing and reading!**

When Beth woke up her head was still pounding, the rays of sunlight coming through the cracks of the shades in the window were severely irritating. At least the nausea was gone. There was nothing left in her stomach to throw up. Daryl was still asleep on the couch next to the bed. She remembered waking up late last night and felt extremely embarrassed. What else had she done that night that she didn't remember? The last thing she could recall before waking up and puking was starting to drink with Daryl and feeling dizzy.

"Hey," said Daryl, sitting up from the couch. His voice startled her and she looked over at him.

"Hey," she said.

"Feelin' any better?" he asked.

"A little," she said, "Still got a headache." He picked up the bottle of medicine off the nightstand and tossed it to her.

"Here take two more." she unscrewed the top and quickly dry swallowed the pills, desperate for some relief of the pounding pressure in her head.

"Now I know why my daddy warned me against drinking," she said.

"It's alright," said Daryl, "If done in moderation." He smirked and said, "Just no more drinkin' the whole bottle." She tried to let out a laugh but only smiled. "There's a way to get shit-faced and enjoy it." he said, stretching and yawning. He tossed her a can of the soup they'd gotten from the store. "I'd eat this instead of meat," he said, "It'll be easier on your stomach."

"How long until I start to feel better?" she asked.

"Sleep it off 'n rest in bed." She sat up, ignoring the stabbing pain in the front of her head.

"What about you?"

"I'm fine, gonna go out and hunt around, maybe keep an eye on the road to see if I that same car you saw from before comes back." Beth suddenly felt guilty. Because of her over-drinking she was useless for the day. Daryl must of read her mind when he saw her upset expression. "Don' worry 'bout it," he said, "Stay here and rest." He handed her a gun and a knife. "Take these just in case, I'm gonna shut the door 'n block it off in case anything gets in downstairs, you can sleep soundly."

* * *

Daryl walked down the road, crossbow in hand. He figured he'd check the road before going out hunting. He didn't want to have to drag around a deer carcass. When he came to the road he listened closely. He didn't hear anything. He walked alongside the road to see if there were any signs of a recent car passing through. He'd been walking for about ten minutes when he found what he was looking for. It was a walker crushed onto the pavement. It had been clearly run over. Its blood was still fresh and glistening, coming off the walker were bloody tire tracks that went for another couple feet. The tracks were filled with chunks of brain and it clearly had been a recent hit, probably from earlier today. If only the tracks continued on so he could just follow them. It was all the evidence he needed to show that Beth had been right and someone else used the road to get back and forth from place to place. But how close were they? Was it a group or just one or two people? No sense in sitting around and waiting to see something today if the car had already passed through, tomorrow he would. He started to walk back to the house. He tried to keep his mind on hunting but he couldn't help but think about last night. He was pretty sure Beth didn't remember anything. But he did. The way he had touched her and talked to her was wrong. Beth was eighteen, he was forty. That was a huge difference. Hell he was old enough to be her daddy. And there was the fact that there was no way a beautiful girl like Beth Greene could ever fall in love with an old redneck like him. Why was he even letting these kind of things go through his mind? They had both been drunk. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about those big beautiful blue eyes full of lust, looking up at him from in between his legs.

* * *

Beth woke up, unsure of how long she had been asleep. But all she knew was she felt much better, she was parched and she needed to wash off the dried sweat on her body. She slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed. She could still feel the a faint headache but for the most part it was gone. She got up and pushed the door open, which was difficult to do thanks to Daryl stacking up chairs and furniture against it. She went slowly down the stairs and went into the living room. She immediately grabbed a bottle of water and chugged it down until it was empty. Then she headed down to the pond to bathe.

* * *

Daryl moved slowly through the woods, being careful to not make any noise. It was quiet out, not even the birds were making any noise. It was then that he heard it, a voice singing. It was beautiful but was off in the distance and he couldn't make out the words. He followed the sound, and as he got closer he recognized it as Beth's. What was she doing out of the room?! He moved quickly through the woods until the voice was close by. She was right beyond a thick wall of bushes. He pushed the leaves aside and was shocked. There was Beth standing in the pond, washing her hair, completely naked. Everything from the hips up was exposed. She had her arms over her head, scrubbing shampoo into her hair giving him full view of her. He drunk it all in, her curvy hips, her narrow little waist, perky breasts, fuck she was so beautiful. She was gonna be the death of him. All of the blood in his body was quickly going south resulting in an uncomfortable erection. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd fucked someone. After the world had gone to shit it hadn't seemed so important anymore and he'd been focused on other things. Even when Carol had constantly dropped hints that she wanted him he had looked the other way. He quickly looked away, sitting down on the ground out of sight. He felt like a pervert. What the hell was he doing?! He left and ran back into the woods. If she knew he saw her she'd be pissed.

* * *

Beth got out of the pond and headed back to the house, feeling much better. She looked up at the sun. It had to be around 4:00, she'd better start dinner. When she got back she got out two cuts of meat and started a fire to cook it over.

A half an hour later it was done cooking and Daryl walked in just in time. He was carrying a deer and Beth smiled and said

"How was your day?" He seemed shifty-eyed as he answered her.

"Boring," he said, "Just went huntin' after i checked out the road."

"Did you find anything?" she asked.

"Ya," he said, "I found a walker body further up the road it looked like it had been freshly run over."

"I wonder who's been passing through," she said, getting the meat onto two plates.

"I'm goin' out there tomorrow to keep watch for anythin'," he said.

"Can I come with you?" she asked. He looked like he was considering it and then said

"Ya you can." Daryl set the deer down and they sat down on the couch to eat. It was quiet as they ate. Beth wanted to ask Daryl if he remembered what she had done last night but she was scared of his answer. After five minutes of fighting herself about it she finally built up the courage to ask.

"So about last night, what exactly happened?" He didn't look up from his food and said

"Nuthin', just got drunk off your ass and danced around the fire a bit. Then a walker came along and I brought you inside." She laughed and said well I hope I wasn't to annoying. He smiled and said

"Don' worry you were fine. You actually saw the walker before I did. If you hadn'ta spotted it it probably woulda' taken a bite into my shoulder."

"Well I'm glad I saved your life," she said smartly.

"Don't get to full of yourself," he said.

"Awww," she said, "Embarrassed that I saved you?" He shoke his head as she laughed at him.

They finished dinner and Beth didn't know what to say as they both leaned back on the couch. She wasn't tired enough to go to bed so she decided to strike up a conversation.

"How long had it been since we left the prison?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said, "Lost track of the days, it's been a couple weeks at least."

"Where do you think the others are?" She knew she'd asked him the question many times over but talking about it comforted her in a way.

"Dunno," he said, "I'm pretty sure I saw Rick and Carl make it out together, and that bus fulla' people, but I can't be sure 'bout the others."

"What about Carol?" asked Beth, "I didn't even see her in the prison yard when they attacked." She saw Daryl shift uncomfortably in his seat. She had always suspected there was something going on between the two but she didn't know what. She had to admit, during the past couple of months that she'd developed a crush on Daryl she'd been a bit jealous.

"She killed Karen 'n Dave," said Daryl quietly. Beth was shocked.

"How'd you know that?" she asked.

"Rick figured it out and let me know, she did it to try 'n stop the sickness from spreadin'."

"What happened to her?" asked Beth.

"Rick sent her away," said Daryl, "He gave her a car packed fulla' supplies and sent her off. Didn't think she was stable enough to be with us anymore." Beth couldn't see Carol doing such a thing.

"Do you think it was her?" asked Beth.

"I don't know," said Daryl, "It's like her to do anything to keep the group safe, but I just can't see her plannin' and carryin' somethin' out like that." He took a deep breath and put his face in his hands. Seeing his frustration she scooted closer to him and put her arm around his shoulders. He didn't flinch like he used too, he was used to being touched by now.

"Maybe we'll find her with the others," said Beth.

"Ya maybe."


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks to all my followers and reviewers :) In chapter twelve I wrote that the girls were located in Casper, Wyoming but I'm changing it to Glenrock, Wyoming because Casper is a city not a town and I want the girls to be in a more isolated area. **

Candice woke early that morning. She got up and got to work on cooking breakfast. She yawned and rubbed her eyes as she went over to the window. She pushed back the blankets she and Georgette had put over the window and was shocked to see it was a complete white-out. It was heavily snowing and there would be no leaving the cabin today. She started a fire up and took out the raw meat to cook. She saw her sister start to stir on the couch.

"It's a blizzard out there," said Candice.

"Mmmm," groaned Georgette, rolling over onto her stomach.

"We should really find a shovel so we can dig the snow out easier," said Candice. Georgette didn't reply but went back to what she was doing. She could feel Georgette watching her.

I had another dream last night," she said. Candice wanted to go on pretending she wasn't interested but she said

"About?"

"Our mom,"

"Stop calling her that," said Candice, "She might not be our mom." Candice didn't want to hear about it. She was afraid. Afraid of everything she didn't know, of anything out of their quaint past life with Angela, of the parents she didn't know and didn't remember. She saw Georgette roll her eyes.

"I know it's our mother Candice," she said.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because its clear, all the evidence points to her being our mother." Candice kept her mouth shut. "Last night I got a better look at that guy she's always with in my dreams, and he was wearing this jacket." She held up her leather jacket with the wings on the back. "He could be our dad." Candice was done listening.

"Why won't you give it a rest?" she snapped, "All I ever hear you talk about these days is our parents or going to Georgia! Can't you just be satisfied with what we have here?! We'll die out there! Don't be such an airhead, stop being so ridiculous!" Candice knew she had rattled her sister's cage.

"You just wanna stay here in the woods like a bunch of hermits? You think everything will go on perfectly? Well you're a delusional coward!" She was starting to yell, "Get your blonde head out of the sand and stop being so stupid!" Candice felt her blood starting to boil.

"You think I'm delusional!? You're the one whose having these silly dreams every night. You really think our parents are alive?" Candice forced out a laugh. "You're the stupid one."

"You've always been soft," said Georgette. "Angela sheltered you, she thought you were delicate and weak. Without me you'd be dead, at the bottom of that lake cold and dead. I've kept you alive all these years." Candice felt like she'd been hit hard in the chest. She held bac angry tears.

"You fucking bitch," she snarled. Georgette smiled and said

"Well the truth hurts don't it?" Candice could no longer hold back how hurt she was. She let silent tears fall down her face. She got up and started to get into her snow gear.

"Where the fuck are you going?" asked Georgette.

"Away from you," she said coldly, "I can survive without you." Candice took one last look at her sister, grabbed her gun and left.

* * *

She pulled her hood further down onto her face, blocking out the snow from further pelting her skin. She was making slow progress as she put one foot in front of the other. The wind pushed against her body, sending snow faster into her face. She would show her. She wasn't weak. Her sister's words replayed in her head as she walked on._ You've always been soft, Angela sheltered you._ Was it true? Did Angela see more potential in Georgette than her? If she had she never showed it, she had always seemed to love them equally. She had been the one to take care of Georgette when she couldn't walk, she was the one who went hunting everyday, how dare she say those things to her.

She continued to trudge on. The snow was definitely picking up. As she leaned forward head first into the drive of the wind and snow, a heavy amount of snow piled up on her back. No matter how much she shoke it off it seemed to pile up again within minutes. She was getting incredibly tired and as angry as she was at her sister she came to realize what a stupid decision she had made. She ran into something headfirst. It knocked her off her balance and she went backwards into the snow. She thought it was a tree until she looked up to see a wooden wall. Confused she slowly stood back up again. She kept both her hands on the wall and walked along it, there had to be a door somewhere. She finally turned a corner and found what she was looking for. She pulled on the knob. It was open, thank god. She kicked the snow away and pulled it open. It was dark inside, she couldn't be sure of what the place was. She turned on her flashlight and jumped when she saw a walker lunging towards her. She knocked it over with her gun and then quickly shot it in the head. She and Georgette usually tried to avoid shooting walkers as much as possible as it would draw others to them but the winter air was so thick the sound wouldn't carry. It was a small one room building and there were no more walkers inside. She flashed her light around the room and saw a sign that said Town Information Center. The one window at the front of the room was caked with snow on the outside so there was little light coming through. At the front of the room under the sign was a desk. There were several tables in the room, all with books and pamphlets on them. She picked up one of the pamphlets it read Glenrock, Wyoming. Also on the front was a picture of a happy family, standing in front of the town's sign. A mom, a dad, and a little boy. She put the pamphlet down and went in behind the desk and sat down. It was cold inside so she kept her gear on and leaned against the desk, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

_Candice opened her eyes. She was standing outside what looked like a jail cell. She looked through the bars. It was dark and she could just make out the figures of three people, all men from what she could see. One was hunched over on his knees on the ground, the other two stood over him, holding what looked like a whip and a baseball bat._

_"Just lemme see my wife," came the voice of the man in the middle. It was low and pained._

_"Not until you tell us where the other half of your group went." said one of the men._

_"I don't know nuthin', I wasn't involved in those kinda decisions." said the middle man._

_"We know you did, we watched you and your people for a month." the man on the right raised the bat he was holding and brought it down on the man's back. Candice let out a horrified cry as the man fell on over onto his hands._

_"I swear I don' know anythin', just take me to my wife." The man with the bat hit him again, sending him onto the floor._

_"If you don't tell us we'll kill both of your daughters." The man sounded significantly weaker after the last blow._

_"How d'you know my daughters?"_

_"We told you we've been watching you and your people, we know exactly who they are. They came in with another woman, not your wife. We know who they are. We'll use the older one as walker bait and throw the baby over a bridge if you don't tell us."_

_"No please-" he gasped._

_"Then tell us!" The beaten man started to cough profusely. She could hear something splatter on the ground. It was blood. She saw the men pick the man up by his back and swing him around throwing him in her direction. He hit the bars face first. She finally got a good look at him. He was scruffy, he looked to be in his 40's and he had brown hair. He was beaten pretty bad, his nose was clearly broken and bleeding badly, and he had a fresh black eye. He fell onto the floor. She got a good look at his bare back. It was cut up and mutilated from the whip and there were deep bruises from the bat. The two men came to the door of the cell and kicked him over so he was lying on his back._

_"You're a fucking useless piece of shit!" They said, spitting on him. They opened the door and shut it. "Oh and by the way, your wife is dead, we burned her body along with the rest of your people." She heard the man let out a sob as the other two men left him there. He continued to lay on the ground, he was curled up on a ball on his side, his face in his hands. It was quiet, except for the man's sobs. Then she heard him whisper._

_"Georgette and Candice, oh god," he let out another sob, "Please let my girls live."_

* * *

Georgette sat on the couch, still feeling bitter and resentful. It had been two hours since the fight. Her stubbornness was keeping her from admitting to herself that she was scared for her sister. If she wanted to go out into the woods and try to survive on her own let her. It wasn't up to Georgette to hold her back. But as time went by she found herself softening a bit, which turned into worry which then became cold fear. Oh god what had she done? Candice wouldn't be able to survive in a blizzard. She quickly began to pull her boots and jacket on, she could be lying out there fast first in the snow freezing to death.

When Georgette opened the door she was relieved to see the snow had slowed a bit. She looked for foot imprints but she knew there wouldn't be any. They had been covered up minutes after Candice had stepped out of them. She knew the general direction she had gone in and walked that way. She had been stupid to tell Candice those things, Angela had never thought of her as the weaker child but she had babied her. Maybe because she'd been just an infant when Angela got them? She'd never know.

* * *

Candice woke up on the floor. Her eyes were now wide open to everything. Their father, it had been him. He had beaten within an inch of his life. Was he still alive? Georgette had been right about it all. They couldn't ignore their past, they had to return to Georgia. She got up and went over to the door. She peeked outside to see that it was just lightly snowing now. She could make her way back to the cabin. Before she could leave she had one thing to do. She went back over to the pamphlets and flipped through them. When she found a map of Wyoming she tucked it in her pocket and headed outside.

She made her way back around the side of the building, and looked out into the forest. She tried not to panic. Everything looked the same, how the hell was she supposed to find her way back? The only thing she could do was start walking.

* * *

Georgette marked each tree she passed. If Candice was out there somewhere she could be hurt and she would need to get her back to the cabin as quickly as possible. Maybe if she shot off her gun Candice would hear it and yell out or come find her. There was no risk, any walkers that had been outside had been packed down under at least two feet of snow. She shot three times and then listened for any answering gunshots. Nothing. Feeling disappointed she continued on.

* * *

Candice couldn't hold down the panic anymore. She was completely lost. She moved as quickly as she could through the woods, hoping and praying that she'd see the wooden cabin woods among the trees. She soon grew tired and sat down at the base of a tree to rest. It was then that she heard it. The distant sound of three gunshots. She held her breath, listening for more. Maybe it was Georgette looking for her? Or maybe it was someone else out hunting? Either way she had to find shelter somewhere.

"HELLO!" she called out. Her voice echoed off the trees and she listened for more gunshots. It was quiet. Desperate to be heard she let out a high pitched scream, hoping that it would carry better then her call.

* * *

Georgette stopped in her tracks when she heard a blood curdling wail off in the distance. What the hell was that? Was it a person or a fisher cat? She'd heard their calls before. Sounded like a woman screaming or a baby crying. It had always given her chills. She let out two more gunshots. There was the scream again. It was definitely a person.

* * *

Candice took off in the direction of the gunshots. She could feel snow getting into her boots as she ran but she didn't care. She heard another gunshot. She was getting closer. Every few minutes a new shot would sound and it would be closer. She felt her heart leap in her chest when she saw her sister standing in the middle of the woods.

"Gigi!" she called out. She saw her sister's face light up in relief and happiness. They pulled each other into a tight hug. She could hear her sister crying.

"I thought you were gone! I'm so sorry about everything I said, none of it was true! You're not soft or weak, you're the best sister anyone could ever ask for. You cut off my toes for me," she laughed. Candice smiled and said

"I'm sorry too, I just didn't understand anything you were trying to tell me." She took a deep breath, sucking in the cold winter air. "But now I do, I understand everything." Georgette looked shocked and confused. "When spring comes, we'll go to Georgia and we'll find out who are parents were."


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks so much to all my new followers and reviewers! I love seeing all the feedback :)**

When Beth woke up the first thing she could feel was that she was sticky with sweat. She sat up and threw the covers off of her. The air was hot, humid and thick. She wiped the sweat of her forehead and felt disgusted. Why the hell was it so hot out? She looked over to the couch to see that Daryl wasn't there. Before she get up he walked into the room. He had has crossbow over his shoulder and nothing on but boxers. She felt her cheeks heat up.

"What are you wearing?!" she asked.

"It's a million fuckin' degrees out there, if we're gonna live together girly then you better get used to it." She rolled her eyes and tried to keep herself from looking at his muscled chest.

"When do you think we'll be able to get out of here," she asked.

"Maybe in a week or two," he said, "I need another deer or two and then we'll have enough meat to last us." She got up out of bed and said

"Well are we still gonna look for that car today?"

"Ya," he said, "That's where I've been for the past hour, just came back to check on you." She was surprised and said

"How come you didn't wake me up?"

"You need rest," he said.

"I'm not the one who goes out and hunts everyday," she said, feeling slightly insulted. He ignored her comment and said

"Get dressed, I'll be waitin' downstairs."

* * *

They sat in the overgrown grass waiting. The sun was almost unbearable and Beth tried to stay in the side of a large oak tree that towered over them.

"We're gonna have terrible sunburns by the end of the day," she said. He just grunted at her, keeping his eyes on the road. "It has to be at least a hundred degrees out," she said. Beth had fair skin and when she burned she turned bright red like a lobster and started peeling. She used to get made fun of for it back in school. A lot of the girls went tanning and achieved a nice dark look while she was looked like a ghost. She'd often wished she was tan but it didn't really matter anymore in the world they lived in. She lay down next to him. The grass was soft and it felt good to let her hair fan out behind her so her neck was no longer hot. "Who do you think they are?" she asked.

"Who?" he asked.

"The people coming up and down the road?" He shrugged and said

"I don't know, but they could know where the rest of the group is so it's worth findin' out." She closed her eyes and let herself doze off.

When she came to an hour later nothing had seemed to change. Daryl was still sitting next to her, watching the road. "When we're done I'm going for a swim," she said, wiping her sweaty face.

"A swim?" he asked. She sat up and said

"What you've never swam for fun before? Like in a pool or a lake?"

"There were no pools in the trailer park," he said, "What's so fun about just swimmin' around anyway?"

"Well you can play games like Marco Polo, or Shark attack."

"What the hell is that," he said. Beth was shocked,

"How can you not know how to play Marco Polo?!" He shrugged, suddenly looking irritated.

"I dunno!" he said, "I didn't grow up in a very playful atmosphere."

"Well I'll teach you," she said, "It's fun."

* * *

Daryl stood in the middle of the pond, feeling annoyed. She had managed to drag him in and now she was gonna make him play some stupid childish game.

"Ok," she said, "What you do is one of us is Marco and one of us is Polo. Marco is the one whose supposed to catch Polo. So Marco has to close his or her eyes and call out 'Marco' and Polo is supposed to call out 'Polo'. Once Marco catches or tags Polo that person becomes Marco."

"Sounds stupid," he said, she laughed

"It's fun I promise, but you gotta be Marco."

"Why do I have to be Marco!" he said.

"Cause you've never played the game before." He didn't see any logic in her explanation but gave in.

"Fine," he said, he closed his eyes. "Marco," he said, reaching out in front of him.

"Polo," she called out. He heard her swimming off to the left and started walking in that direction. He called out again and followed her voice. He felt absolutely ridiculous, if anyone else saw him doing this he'd be humiliated. He followed her voice around the pond. She'd always seem to go underwater and pop up somewhere else and he'd be walking in circles.

"Marco," he said. Right by his ear he heard her whisper

"Polo," He lunged around to grab her but she was gone before he could. Growling in frustration he listened closely for where she was going to come up next. He heard a splash as she came to the surface over on his right. Without calling out he moved fast, lunging for her again. This time he caught her leg as she tried to dash away.e and she let of a squeal as he pulled her backwards. She felt him wrap his arms around her and tried to ignore the way he pulled her flush against him.

* * *

Beth felt his hand grip around her ankle and she let of a squeal as he pulled her backwards. She felt him wrap his arms around her and tried to ignore the way he pulled her flush against him.

"You're Marco now," he said triumphantly.

"I thought you thought this game as stupid," she said teasingly.

"It's alright," he said gruffly. She laughed and tried to pull away from him.

"You can let go now," she said. He released her back into the water. Smiling she closed her eyes and said "Marco." He may of been a great hunter and tracker but he was terrible at being stealthy in the water. She could hear every movement he made and it was easy to follow him without him calling out. It took her ten minutes. When she felt him near she dove and grabbed onto his shoulders. "Got you," she said.

"Fuck!" he said. He abruptly turned around and grabbed onto her tightly.

"What are you doing?!" she asked surprised. He didn't answer her and plunged underwater. She screamed as he pulled her under with him. When she came back to the surface her hair had been flipped over so that it came down in front of her face. She could hear him laughing at her and she flipped her hair back over. She had never seen him laugh before. It was odd, but she liked it.

* * *

When they got back inside it was dark out and the heat had died down and she actually felt somewhat chilly. Beth sat on the couch wrapped in a towel as he lit a fire to cook dinner. As the meat started to cook he came and sat down next to her. She couldn't help but shiver a little as a chill ran up her back. She was surprised when he gestured for her to come over to him.

"C'mere," he said. She looked at him, unsure what he wanted her to do. He pulled her over so she was practically sitting on his lap and he rubbed her arms, making her feel warmer. She was shocked at what he was doing. The only time he'd ever touched someone like that was when he had massaged Carol's shoulders the day they got to the prison. She took that as an invitation to lean her head back into his shoulder. "You were complainin' about the heat this morning," he said.

"Ya well it's colder at night," she said. She looked up at him and found his face closer to hers then she thought it would be. For a fleeting moment she thought that all the dreams she had had about him would be fulfilled and he'd lean forward and kiss her but instead he ruined the moment and said

"You were right about the sunburn though, you're face is pretty damn red." She felt her cheeks and felt the familiar hot stinging sensation of a sunburn.

"Suppose I should get used to it," she said, "Not like they make sunscreen anymore."

When they were done eating they headed to bed, tired from the day. Daryl fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. He hadn't wanted to admit it to Beth but he too had been having nightmares. Hershel's death had deeply disturbed him. Not as much as it did Beth but the whole thing had been fucked up for everyone and it had triggered something in his brain. While he did have nightmares about the prison attack, most of the nightmares brought him back to his childhood.

* * *

_He was six again. He and Merle broken into a house and Merle was looking at the loot he'd thrown into a pillow case. Jewelry, a couple of twenty dollar bills, and a bunch of nudie magazines he'd found in one of the cupboards in the bedroom. Daryl never went into houses alone he'd always follow Merle._

_"Here's some for you," he said handing Daryl only two of the 20 dollars bills._

_"Hey that's no fair! You got way more then half!" he said._

_"Don't matter little brother," he said, "I'm the one who broke the window, I keep most of the loot." Daryl was unhappy about it but he kept his mouth shut. He swung the pillow case over his shoulder and started walking off towards town._

_"Where ya goin'?" called Daryl._

_"To the pawn shop, gonna get some cash for these necklaces." Daryl ran after him. Merle only told him he wasn't allowed to tag along when he was with the older boys and they went out to the woods to smoke crack. They walked along the dirt road and quickly made their way into town. Daryl looked around at the rundown storefronts, not much had changed in the town since he'd been born. There was always the local hookers standing outside the bar, the drunks stumbling around and the dirty children playing out in the streets. He was one of those dirty children. Shoeless, with holes in his shirt and pants. They entered the pawn shop and owner's wife was standing at the counter, sorting through a box of rings. Daryl had always liked her. Her name was Cheryl. She reminded him of his mum, except she was much nicer and she always gave him lollipops and she smelled like peaches. Also like his mum she also had bruises on her face. Today she had a fresh one on her right eye. When she saw him standing there she smiled and said_

_"Hi there sweetheart how are you today?" Daryl smiled and said_

_"I'm good," Like always she reached into the jar of lollipops on the counter and tossed him two._

_"Did you bring somethin' to sell?" she asked Merle, looking at his bag._

_"Sure did ma'am," he said, reaching inside. Suddenly the shop owner came out of the back. The woman's smiling demeanor instantly went fearful._

_"What are you doin' up her Cheryl, get to the back where you fuckin' belong, don' need you up here dealin' with the customers." She scurried off into the back, her head down._

_"Whatdya got for me boys?" he asked. Merle dumped all of the jewelry out onto the counter. Daryl looked around as his brother and the man went back and fourth over the money. Ten minutes they walked out, Merle's pockets fat with cash. Daryl knew the next stop they had to make. They walked into a back alleyway behind the diner. The usual man was standing there waiting for them. There was little words exchanged as Merle pulled out a couple bills and handed them over. In return he got the bag of drugs he wanted. When they got back out to the street Merle said_

_"Go on home, I'll be back later," Daryl listened and started walking back home. He took his time, kicking rocks along the way. When he finally reached the trailer he opened the door. There was his mum in her usual spot, smoking on the couch watching TV. She didn't acknowledge him as he walked into the bedroom he shared with Merle and reached under the bed where he kept his stash of money. He wasn't quick enough and he heard his father step into the doorway._

_"Whatdya got there boy?" Daryl felt cold fear wash over him and he quickly tucked the cash into his pants pocket._

_"Nuthin'," he said. His father was in the same dingy jeans and the yellowed wife-beater he'd been wearing all week. In his hands he held a half empty bottle of whiskey. His cold, drunken eye narrowed at Daryl._

_"You better not be lyin' to me." Daryl shoke his head and said_

_"I ain't I swear," His father rushed forward and Daryl tried to run around the other side of the bed but he wasn't quick enough. His father grabbed him by the throat and threw him down onto the bad. Daryl gasped for air as his father tightened his grip._

_"You no good little piece of shit! You're lyin' to me!" Daryl couldn't speak as he choked. His father threw him onto the ground, knocking the breath out of him. He grabbed him by the foot and pulled him up so he was hanging upside down._

_"Whatcha got!" he said, shaking Daryl violently. He felt sick and felt all the blood rushing to his head. He saw the money fall out onto the floor from his pocket. "I knew you were lyin' to me!" His father scooped up the money and dropped Daryl to the floor. He landed on his hand and he cried out in pain. He felt his father lift up his shirt so his back was exposed. He heard his father unbuckling his belt and he knew what was coming next. The deep wounds on his back hadn't healed yet from the last beating and when his father brought the belt down on his damaged flesh he saw stars. He let out a cry and felt the tears pouring down his face. He looked up to see his mother standing in the doorway, cigarette in hand. There was a sickening smirk on her face._

_"What'd that little shit do now," she said._

_"Get back to the couch bitch! I ain't got time for you!" His mother quickly did as she was told. Blow after blow his father repeatedly hit him until he'd had his fill. He left him there on the floor, crying and bleeding out onto the carpet, his back in shreds._

* * *

Daryl woke up in cold sweat. He fell off the couch, making the floor shake. He saw Beth's concerned face looking down at him.

"Daryl are you ok?" she said. Before he could answer he heard a loud creak from above.

"What was that?" asked Beth, looking up. Suddenly there was a loud crash and wood splintering. There was a hole in the ceiling and below it was a walker. There was another crash and another walker came falling through the ceiling. Three more walkers came through the holes. They were in deep trouble.


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks so much everyone for the support and reviews! I love hearing what you guys think :) Bethyl on!**

The snow had started to melt off the roof, dripping down onto the porch. The ground was a sloppy mix of mud, melting snow, and water. It was officially spring. It was only a matter of time before that herd of walkers Candice had discovered frozen in the snow rose up and it was time to start packing. It was early in the morning and Georgette wanted to get into town by nightfall so they could take shelter there and then head out the next morning.

"So what's the plan?" asked Candice. Georgette spread the map of Wyoming out on the counter.

"We're in Glenrock," she said pointing to the little dot on the map where they were located. The main road that goes through the town leads off onto the main highway if we head east. If we follow that highway it turns south and goes all the way down to Cheyenne. Then we'll have to go further east and we'll be in Nebraska."

"Don't you think if we just cut through past the roads we'll move quicker?" asked Candice.

"Ya but without the road we'll have no clue where we're going, we need to stick to the main highways."

"And what about when we reach Nebraska?"

"We'll find a map for that state and continue on from there." said Georgette.

"Cheyenne's the capital of the state," said Candice nervously, "It'll be filled with walkers."

"We can try and go around it but we should go in and see what we can find, maybe they'll be other people. Who knows, with how long the worlds been in turmoil, somebody could of come in and cleaned the place out and barricaded it by now." Georgette rolled up the map and turned around to start getting their bags together.

"And how are we gonna find transportation?" asked Candice.

"Hopefully we can hot wire a car when we get into town," said Georgette, "Until then we're on foot." They emptied and layed out the two bags they had and got to work on sorting things out. They stuffed one bag with food and medication, the other with ammunition, their smaller handguns, the seeds they'd collected and anything else they had. The two bags were completely stuffed.

"Ready?" asked Georgette. Candice looked nervous.

"We're really doing this?" she said. Georgette didn't want to be rough with her about it anymore so she said

"I know we've grown up around here and chances are we're never gonna be able to come back, but just think of all the awesome new places we're gonna see and the people we're gonna meet." She felt like she was talking to a little kid. She handed Candice one of the bags and picked up the other. "Let's go," she said. They walked out the door for the last time. Although there was no need to, Georgette shut the door, leaving it unlocked. Maybe someone else would stumble upon the cabin and need a place to stay. The ground was mucky and with each step she sunk down. She was sure she remembered the way to the school. Once they got there they'd find the main road of the town. Georgette's boots made gross suction sounds as she walked. It wasn't long before they came across a walker. Georgette easily went up and stabbed it in the head.

"Piece of cake," she said, cleaning the blade of her knife. Candice looked up at her doubtfully. They continued on. The forest was quiet except for the occasional call of a crow. Georgette heard her sister let out a yell. Her foot had unexpectedly sunk down to above her ankle. She pulled hard and her foot wouldn't budge.

"Try to get your foot out of the boot," said Georgette.

"I can't," said Candice, struggling and pulling harder. Georgette heard a low hissing sound and turned to see a huge group of walkers approaching them. She got down on her knees and started to pull at Candice's boot as hard as she could. Candice pulled out her handgun and started shooting the walkers, taking them down one by one. Georgette felt the boot sliding out slowly and she finally pried it loose. As she stood up she felt a walker come down on top of her from behind. She could hear its teeth snapping at her from behind. Candice quickly stabbed it in the head and Georgette got up. They didn't take a moment to look back and ran, mud flying everywhere. They didn't stop until they could see the school through the trees. They looked back, the walkers were out of sight. The girls walked into the school parking lot which was now visible since the snow had melted.

"The main road can't be that far off," said Georgette. They followed the long driveway out onto the road. Across the street was a small church. This may be easier than Georgette thought. The road was wide enough to be a main road and when she looked further down the street she could see more buildings. "Come on," she said. The girls walked down the center of the street, keeping their eyes out for any walkers.

"We've never come down this way before," said Candice, "We'd always head east or north, the stores could have medicine left."

"We could also find some people here already," said Georgette.

"What then?" asked Candice.

"We'll have to wait and see," she said. When they came into the main part of the town it didn't appear to be inhabited. Each side of the street had clusters of charming brick buildings with little storefronts. The trees had given way to the wide open plains and the brown mountains met the sky in the distance. Candice spotted a pharmacy and said

"Let's go!" She ran up to the building and Georgette saw her peer inside. "It's clear," she said. Georgette joined her and the two busted the door open. To Georgette's shock the shelves were still stocked.

"We're gonna need more bags," she said laughing in happiness. Candice looked around and found a few cloth bags on display they could use. They didn't look at what the medicine was, they just shoved it all into the bag until it was full. Once they were done there wasn't a whole lot left. "That'll do," said Georgette. The bags were heavy and it probably would of been a better idea to find shelter before taking the medicine. When they got back outside Georgette looked around at the buildings. They definitely needed to stay on a second or third floor. One of the center buildings across the street looked to be the tallest.

"Come on," said Georgette. They crossed the street and Georgette looked inside. It seemed to be an old town hall. She tried the handle on the door before breaking the glass, and it opened. It was a wide open room with a big desk at the front. There weren't any other rooms to clear so they headed for a door at the back. Georgette found a staircase leading up when she opened it. They quietly went upstairs and found another open room. What made Georgette nervous was the room was set up with cubicles, making it a maze. "Shit," she said, "They could be anywhere in here."

"I'll take the right and you take the left," said Candice. Georgette moved slowly, looking inside each cubicle as she went. She thought they were in luck and there were no walkers lurking inside when she looked inside the last room and felt a pair of hands land heavily on her shoulders. She whipped around and shoved the body to the ground. It was a walker, hissing at her as it slowly got up off the floor. She quickly stabbed it in the head. She heard Candice call out

"Everything alright?"

"Ya, just one walker." They met back at the staircase.

"It's all clear where I checked," she said. There was another flight of stairs leading up to the third and final floor. Georgette was relieved to see it was just a small attic room with nothing but a few old boxes on the floor. Three windows let in sunlight, and although it had cobwebs and it was dusty it was better then staying out on the streets. They had finally made it to their first destination of many. Georgette put the bags down and said

"Well now that we've found this place I think we'd better try and hot wire a car so we can be out of here early tomorrow morning."

"What's the rush?" asked Candice.

"Wanna get on the road," she said, "The sooner we're on the road the closer we are to figuring out who we are."

* * *

They had found a nice Ford F-350 truck with a plow on the front in one of the parking lots behind the building.

"Oh ya this'll go through the walkers nicely," said Georgette laughing with a smirk. Georgette opened the door and looked around inside. They would have enough room to pack all of their stuff inside. She spotted something on the floor and couldn't believe her eyes. It was the keys to the truck. She tried to turn on the car. While the keys definitely fit the car wouldn't run and was out of gas. They spent the rest of the day siphoning it from other cars and filling up several tanks so they wouldn't break down on their trip to Cheyenne. She wasn't sure how long it would take but she wanted to be prepared.

"We'll fill it up in the morning, wouldn't want anyone else taking the truck," said Georgette. Candice stretched out her arms and said

"Who the hell else is around to steal it?" Georgette shrugged and said

"You never know, we're here."

* * *

Georgette watched Candice set up a fire in the center of the room. She unzipped her bag and looked through the new medication they had found. Then she remembered the pictures she had taken from the locker at the school. She pulled them out of an inside pocket in the bag. They were still the same, the blonde and black-haired girl standing and smiling. Probably dead, still lurking around somewhere.

"What's that?" asked Candice.

"Just some pictures I found," she said. Candice came and sat next to her.

"Where'd you get these?" she asked.

"From a locker in the school," she said, "I thought they were nice." Candice gave her a weird look.

"Why would you take pictures of people you don't even know?"

"I just think they're nice," she said defensively, "I think we should try and remember the people who passed on and the old way of life. I don't know this girl but it doesn't matter because these pictures are an insight on how the world used to operate." Candice shrugged and didn't say anything back. "Just think, our lives would of been like this girls if the world was still the way it was back then. We'd go to parties," she held out the pictures of the girls in dresses, "We'd go to school and have jobs."

"We probably wouldn't exist," said Candice, adding a log to the fire, "The world going to shit was probably the reason our parents met."

"What do you mean?" asked Georgette.

"You don't know who they were or what they were before all this. Their paths may of never crossed and we would of never been born. We're a direct result of the Apocalypse," said Candice. Georgette let out an odd laugh, she wasn't sure if it was funny or disturbing.

* * *

_Daryl ran through the smoke, moving as fast as he could. He felt like he was suffocating. It was so bright it could of been daylight. Everything around him was engulfed in flames. The trees, the houses, everything they'd worked for. Living in the town was the first time in his life he'd felt completely safe. Not even in the prison had he felt this secure. The rug had been ripped out from underneath his feet. He couldn't be sure of anything ever again when it came to safety. He heard a loud cracking noise split the air. He looked up to see a large flaming tree falling. His life flashed before his eyes and he was frozen. As it lurched and came tumbling towards he lept out of its path just in time. The impact sent flaming bits of bark, wood and ash flying everywhere. He felt it burning and stinging his face as he picked himself up off the ground and continued to run. He had to get to the hospital up the road. That was the villages safe house. If there was ever an attack that was where they had decided they would go._

_His legs felt like giving out as the acrid smoke clogged up his lungs. He thought of Beth sitting safely with Angela and the rest of the camp in the basement of the hospital waiting for him and the others who had stayed behind. He wasn't sure how many other people had lived. But the opposing army had been to strong and numerous for them to take. That mixed with the walkers was too much for them. He finally was out of the heavy smoke and deeper into the woods. He pushed any walker that crossed his path over, not having anytime to shot them. He started seeing trees that weren't engulfed in flames. He was gonna make it out._

_Up ahead he saw something on the ground. It was definitely a person. Thinking it was one of the fallen men he slowed down and approached carefully in case it was a walker. He was surprised to see that it was a woman. He looked down and was horrified. It was Beth. Her beautiful blonde hair was deep red with blood, she was on her back. Her white nightgown was saturated with blood from a deep wound on her leg. She was as white as a ghost and her eyes were shut. His mind went blank for a moment, he felt numb. Then it all hit him and he let out a sob, dropping to his knees. He picked her up in his arms and held her close. He buried his face in her neck and let himself go and started sobbing. He could smell blood and when he ran his fingers through her hair he felt the deep laceration in her head. Her skin was so cold. She was gone. Forever. And where was Georgette and Candice? Had they wandered into the woods to go look for him? The thought of his lost daughter opened a new wound and fresh tears poured down his face. He had promised her he'd protect her and their daughters. He had failed. This was his fucking fault. Anger suddenly replaced the sadness. When they had escaped the prison years ago he'd promised her he'd protect her, when she was pregnant with Georgette he remembered wrapping his arms around her belly and telling her he wouldn't let anything go wrong. He had completely failed. The deep misery was like a knife in his chest, slowly being twisted. He thought of his girls, how he had been determined to be the ultimate father. He remembered Georgette's eager little eyes looking up at him he taught her how to use a handgun. He knew Beth hadn't approved of it but he wanted his daughter to be prepared for situations exactly like this. He had failed them too. Everything had gone wrong. He knew what he had to do. It wouldn't be long before Beth would come back. The wound on her head was not enough to cause brain damage. He reached for his handgun but suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he heard the clicking of a gun behind him._

_"On your feet," said a rough voice. He didn't want to let go of Beth so he tried to get to his feet when he felt the man press the gun to his head. "Put the girl down." Painfully he let Beth go and gently lay her back onto the ground. He stood up his hands over his head. Out of the darkness more men appeared holding rifles up at him. "Hands behind your back!" said the man. He thought about trying to escape but he knew there was no way out. Even if he shot the man behind him the others surrounding him would fire. For a moment he considered letting it happen, Beth was gone, his girls were lost, what was left for him? But he slowly crossed his hands behind his back. He felt the man roughly put handcuffs on him. Suddenly he felt pain explode in his head. The man had hit him with the butt of the gun. The world faded away as he blacked out, falling over. The last thing he saw was Beth's face next to his on the ground. She looked peaceful almost as if she was just sleeping._


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey everyone :) Thanks for the reviews! This chapter may get a little boring towards the end but the next chapter will be better :)**

Beth leaped out of bed and grabbed Daryl by the arm, trying to pull him up.

"Come on we gotta go!" Daryl stood up, still disoriented and in shock. There had to be at least ten walkers in the room now, cornering them. Daryl picked up his crossbow and shot them down but they continued to come from the ceiling. How the hell had they not been aware of them up in the attic this the whole time? Danger had been above their heads and they hadn't even known it. When the crowd got to big for Daryl to take he yelled

"Just go!" Beth followed his orders, feeling adrenaline rush through her. She and Daryl slashed through the crowd and made it to the door. Before going into the hallway Beth grabbed one of the bag sitting in the corner, they needed supplies to survive and she had a feeling they wouldn't be coming back. They ran out into the hallway only to find three more walkers blocking their way.

"Fuck!" he said, "Where the hell are they all comin' from?!" Beth didn't answer him and in cold fear she ran forward and knocked them all to the ground, she just wanted to get out as quickly as possible. She let a cry as she turned the corner and looked down the stairs to see a whole bunch of them looking up at her with their disgusting, cold, decaying eyes.

"What do we do?" asked Beth. Daryl looked pissed. They had to make a decision quickly, the walkers were starting to slowly ascend the stairs.

"We'll go out the window," he said.

"Are you crazy?" she said. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the front bedroom facing out at the car. He shut the door, locked it and moved the bed in front of it. She looked out the window and wasn't surprised to see there were walkers lurking around outside as well. It was only one story down but Beth had never jumped from such a distance before.

"You're going first," she said, "You better catch me when I get down there." He shoke his head and said

"You gotta get out of here, there may not enough time for both us to make it out." He quickly went over to the bed and pulled the mattress off.

"You can land on this," he said. It was a twin mattress and the window looked wide enough to shove it out. Daryl quickly unlatched the window. Beth could here the walkers beating at the door and she helped him lift it up and pushed it through the window. It landed with a thud on the ground below. "When you land get up and run for the car." He took the keys out of his pocket and handed them to her. "If I'm not down soon after leave without me." Beth didn't know if she would be able to do that but she just nodded and stuffed the keys in her pocket. She slowly put herself halfway out the window and looked down. The more she looked the longer the jump seemed. She brought her other leg over so she was sitting on the edge. She looked back at Daryl who was right behind her. Instead of roughly telling her to go he softly said

"Don't worry darlin' I'll meetcha down there," and to her shock he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. And then she was falling through the air. She didn't know if he had gently pushed her off or she had done it herself. Either way she hit the mattress a second later. She felt the kiss still burning on her forehead and if she wasn't in immediate danger she would have savored the moment. She had never seen Daryl kiss anyone. Not even Carol. It wasn't on the lips but it was something. The hisses of the walkers brought her back and she got up and sprinted to the SUV sitting in the driveway. She quickly got in and shut the door. She waited for him but he wasn't coming. Walkers were starting to gather around the car and beat on the windows. She heard the glass in the back break and screamed a walker grabbed at her. Soon it was surrounded and she couldn't see Daryl anywhere. Was he dead? Tears pouring down her face, she put the car into reverse and stomped on the gas pedal. She felt the car lurch backwards, running over several walkers. She then sped down the dirt road, leaving them behind her. At the end of the road she stopped and turned around. He had to still be alive. He had too, Daryl Dixon didn't die he would fight till the very end. She anxiously waited, her hands gripping the steering wheel. She listened quietly, the night air thick with the sound of grasshoppers chirping. When she heard a gun shot she knew it was him, coming down the road. He appeared out of the darkness in her headlights. Behind him was a crowd of walkers. He ran up to the car and jumped in, sweating and breathing heavily he yelled out

"Go!" She didn't need to be told twice. She put the car in reverse and sped out of there, her eyes glued on the road, her hands gripping the wheel.

* * *

They didn't stop until they saw light in the sky. Daryl was exhausted. He could of easily been killed back there. He was so fucking lucky. When Beth stopped and pulled over to the side of the road he finally got a good look at her. She was a mess. Her face was streaked with dirt and tears. She had the splattered blood from the walkers she had stabbed across her neck and chest. She was still hyperventilating, her blue eyes wide with fear.

"Beth," he said, "Come on now everthin's gonna be ok, we're both alive." She didn't seem to hear him. He got out of the car and went around to the drivers side and opened the door. He gently pried her fingers of the wheel and took her into his arms. It was then she broke from her trance and wrapped her arms around his neck and started sobbing into his jacket. He smoothed her hair and tried to comfort her.

"It's alright," he said, "I'm ok, you're ok," He sat up in the drivers seat and let her cry, her little body shaking with each sob. She was so fragile and small in his arms and he pulled her closer.

"Where are we supposed to go now?" she asked, her soft voice cracking with emotion.

"We'll find somewhere to go," he said, managing a smile, "You don't haveta worry, I'll keep you safe." She looked up at him and said

"I did grab a bag on the way out, but I'm not sure what supplies were inside." He carried her to the other side of the car and sat her down in the passengers seat. She turned around and pulled the bag from the backseat and unzipped it. Inside there were a few bottles of pills, and a few cans of soup, it was enough to keep them alive for a week or so. For weapons they had Beth's knife, his crossbow, and a gun with limited ammo, they would definitely need to find somewhere safe.

* * *

Beth dug through the bag and pulled out all the medicine and soup showing Daryl but then she spotted something at the bottom. It was the blue dress she'd taken from the store. She didn't tell Daryl, thinking he'd tell her to get rid of it considering it was useless to them. She put all of the stuff back inside. He went around to the drivers seat and turned on the car, checking the gas.

"Fuck, we're almost out of gas," he said.

"How are we gonna get more without something to hold it in or get it out with?" Daryl tried to think creatively, but there was no way of getting the gas out without a tube and a can to hold it all in.

"We have a bit left," he said, "Let's drive ahead and see if we can find a town. We can find everythin' we need there." He shut the door and said "You sleep, I'll keep drivin'." Beth closed her eyes and she was out like a light.

* * *

"Beth wake up," she felt someone shaking her gently. When she opened her eyes she was looking out the windshield. The sky was a deep pink color and it was clearly dusk. Daryl sat next to her, his face twisted in anger. Her eyes stung from crying earlier and she rubbed them and tried to wake herself up more.

"What's wrong?" she asked groggily.

"We're out of fuckin' gas and I haven't seen a town for miles," he said, "There ain't nuthin' out here but trees." She sat up straight,

"So what are we gonna do?"

"We're gonna have to stay here for the night, can't risk walkin' around in the dark." While Beth was nervous about the broken back window and the possibility of walkers breaking in on them she knew they had no option. Her stomach growled painfully and Daryl reached in the back, taking out a can of soup.

"Here," he said, "Eat up." She tore the can open and dug in. She had just been getting used to eating cooked meat and now they were back to cold, uncooked soup.

"Aren't you gonna eat something?" she asked.

"Nah," he said, "I don' need it." Beth realized what he was doing.

"You don't have to give up meals for me," she said, "You need to keep your strength up."

"I told you I'd protect you," he said, "I'd rather you stay full." Beth reached for another can of soup and said

"Daryl please just-"

"You ain't gonna convince me Beth," he said, giving her a stern look. She pulled the soup out and set it down in the cup holder.

"Well if you want it, it'll be here for you." He didn't reply and instead reclined his chair so he was lying down. She threw the empty can out of the broken window.

"We're never gonna find them are we," she said, "We can't even find ourselves."

"I wanna find them as much as you do," said Daryl, "But you're my first priority right now." Beth felt the familiar twist of utter hopelessness and complete misery. Not wanting to talk anymore about it she reclined her seat and shut her eyes hoping too get some sleep.

* * *

When Daryl woke up, looking up at the clear blue sky. He heard birds singing and everything seemed to be alright. But when he sat up and noticed Beth wasn't in her seat he felt a rush of fear. Where the hell did that girl get off to now? He got out of the car with his crossbow and looked around. He didn't see her.

"Beth?!" he called out. He heard an answering voice.

"Hey, don't worry I'm here!" She came out of the woods across the street, a rifle slung up on her back.

"Where the hell you been?" he asked.

"I just went off for a walk, no big deal," she said defensively.

"Why?" he asked. He saw her face turn red. She kicked a rock with her foot as she looked down at the ground.

"I tried to hunt," she said, "But I didn't catch anything."

"Why didn't you just wake me up?"

"I wanted to so something nice for you, you've been supporting me this whole time and I thought I'd get some breakfast." He softened a bit at her answer but still felt angry.

"Well don't be wanderin' off without me again,"

"I can handle myself you know," she said, "I can go on runs by myself while you're out hunting."

"Ya," he said, "Well I'll teach you some things first and then I'll think about it."

"Well you can start by teaching me how to to track and hunt," she said. Daryl was perfectly content with being the only one hunting and providing for them but he knew he couldn't keep her cooped up all day long while he went out and worked.

* * *

Beth stood next to Daryl in the forest. In front of them were four targets Daryl had made out of wood, scrap metal and whatever else they could find lying around.

"If you wanna learn to hunt we gotta work on your aim," he said. "You did pretty good with the crossbow but the gun could be different for you." He stood behind her and said "Get in fighters stance." She looked around at him confused. "Open your legs so they are triangular, stand up straight and hold the gun out with both hands." She did as she was told. "Now keep your shoulders forward." He looked at her stance and said "Spread your legs a little more." Beth blushed instantly as dirty thoughts entered her head. She knew he hadn't meant it in that way but it had sounded dirty. "Pick a target and focus on it," he said. She chose the middle target which was an old bucket in which Daryl had scratched on an X in the middle of the bottom for her to hit. She took the first shot and was embarrassed when it didn't even hit. He came up behind her again and said "Really focus on it, don't take the shot until your sure you got it." It took her a few more shots to finally get near the X. After that Daryl took her further into the woods to hunt.

* * *

She sat next to him, leaning against a tree. They'd been out there for awhile now. Daryl had told her while squirrels were easier to find than deer, they were harder to shot because of their small size and how quickly they moved so they had found signs of a deer nearby and waited there.

"Are we gonna be staying in that car again tonight?" she asked.

"Either that or we continue on foot," he said.

"Well we could start walking tomorrow?" she said.

"That's what we'll have to do," he said, his eyes still out on the forest in front of them. Beth was quiet for a moment before she said

"And what if we don't find any shelter by nightfall the next night?"

"We'll have to make a fire and stay somewhere in the woods," he said. Beth didn't like being out in the open. The first few nights after leaving the prison the two had camped out in the open and they had had some close calls. Without walls there was no protection.

They stayed outside till dawn and then headed back to the car. They hadn't seen any deer and would have to eat soup again. They got in the car and locked the doors. This time Daryl accepted a can and ate with her. As they finished up and leaned back in their seats Beth looked up into the stars. Was her daddy up there somewhere looking down at her and watching over her and Maggie? She wouldn't let her mind think about the way he was killed and instead thought about how he had helped all those sick people the last couple weeks of his life. Why would God take away such a good man? Did he need another angel in heaven? She felt tears flood into her eyes. She quickly wiped them away before Daryl could notice. They all were mourning somebody. In Daryl's case she guessed it was Carol. Carol had been a mother to all of them, but she had seemed to have been something special to Daryl. Whatever it was Beth didn't want to know about it. She thought of Judith next. Had somebody grabbed her before they fled? Or was she dead? Judith had been her light in the darkness of the prison. She remembered Carol telling her Judith would grow up to think Beth was her mother. She had definitely loved Judith, but being so young Beth hadn't felt like Judith was her daughter. Maybe eventually the feelings would of blossomed once she got older but Beth wasn't ready to be called mom just yet. She looked over at Daryl who was fast asleep.

The last twenty-four hours had moved so quickly she hadn't given much thought to the way he'd kissed her on the forehead before she jumped from the window. It couldn't of mean't anything. Maybe he saw her as a little sister.

She rolled over in the seat so she was facing the window. They had a long day tomorrow she had better get some sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks everyone for your reviews and support :) I wanted to post a map of the state showing the girls path. I've always tried to write stories with accurate geographical information. Link to the map: .  
**

Georgette poured the gas into the trucks tank. When she was done she capped the container and put it into the bed of the truck with the rest. She went around to the drivers seat and hoisted herself up inside. The truck they had had back at Angela's house was not nearly as big as this. She was much higher off the ground and with the plow attached to the front they would be able to move through anything. Candice sat in the seat next to her, reading. Georgette was almost finished the American History book and told Candice she could start it if she wanted too. What else was she supposed to do on the ride? Georgette was unsure of how long it would take to get to Cheyenne. When she started the engine the truck revved, making her heart beat a little bit faster. She always liked driving and she knew on the highway she'd be able to go as fast as she wanted too. She backed up and drove out of the parking lot. She kept the map spread out on her lap. They had a few miles to go before they reached the highway and for now they were traveling on a two lane road. It was sunny out and there wasn't a cloud in sight. She took a peek at the map. There wasn't a major town in between Glenrock and Cheyenne. There were a few small villages. They'd stop and see what supplies they could find but Georgette wanted to get to Cheyenne as quickly as possible. She rolled down the windows, enjoying the spring air.

* * *

Candice shut the book after getting through the first chapter. As intrigued as she was by it she could only read for so long. She looked at her sister who was focused on the road. They were surrounded by wide open plains. It was so much different then the wooded area they had grown up in. The white-capped mountains could be seen in the distance. It was so beautiful. She wondered what Georgia would look like, or what any of the other states would look like for that matter. Would they took be wide open or would there be thick forests? She looked over at the radio and saw it was off. Angela had used a radio many times when they first arrived in Wyoming. She wanted to try and contact a group or anybody else but there had been nothing but static and she eventually gave up, happy with it being just the three of them. Now seemed like a good time to try again. She turned it on.

"What are you doing?" asked Georgette.

"I wanna see if we can hear any voices." Candice played with the channels, most of it was static and she couldn't make anything out. Everything was a mystery and she hated it. Somewhere out there could be a huge sanctuary were thousands of people were living. It frustrated her. How could the world be so disconnected. What was their motivation to keep on going? To continue on the human species? She had never been really suicidal but she often thought about the meaning of life. "Do you think if there was a base in Cheyenne there'd be radio signals?" asked Candice. Georgette shrugged and said

"Maybe they don't want new people." Candice hoped if there were people there that they'd welcome them with open arms. Besides they had no interest in staying there, they were just going to be passing through.

She looked out the window. Every so often she'd see an abandoned car on the side of the road. What were the owners of those cars doing when they pulled over? Were they attacked, did they get out and decide to continue on foot, or did they simply give up and put a bullet in their brain?

Soon they were on the highway. Candice saw the excitement in Georgette's eyes. Her sister had always had a need for speed but the back roads of Wyoming hadn't provided enough space to drive more then 40 miles per hour. She felt the car pick up speed.

"We're in a truck not a race car," said Candice smiling. She looked over at the speedometer to see they were going 100 miles per hour.

"I feel so free," said Georgette. Candice just laughed and looked back up at the road. She screamed and yelled

"Look out!" They smashed into a walker, sending bits and pieces of it flying into the air. Brains and blood coated their windshield so they could no longer see. She screamed as they spun out. Georgette was laughing and Candice tried to grip onto the seat but ended up lurching over into her sister's lap. The car came to a sudden halt. Georgette was still laughing, while Candice remained on her lap in shock.

"Aww man," she said, "This is awesome, I wish a herd would cross the street then we'd have some real fun!" Candice sat up and said

"We could of rolled over and gotten killed!"

"Lighten up," she said, "This is fun."

"Not if we could get killed," said Candice.

"We always have the chance of getting killed," said Georgette, "We're all gonna die eventually so why not have some fun while you're still alive." Candice didn't answer and instead turned on the wind shield wipers. She watched, disgusted, as it took off the sludge on the glass. Georgette was still laughing to herself as she turned back onto the road.

* * *

The first town they hit was Douglas. Georgette drove slowly in, looking out for any signs that people could be living in the town. The first clear sign she drove past. It was a little green four door Honda. She could still hear the clicking sound of the exhaust system cooling down like it had been recently driven.

"Do you think we should stop?" asked Candice.

"I don't know," said Georgette. She scanned the buildings carefully, trying to spot movement in the windows. She had respect for other people when it came to survival. She didn't want to clear out a persons main supply of medicine and food. She kept driving on slowly. She saw a crude wooden sign on the side of the road. When they got closer she could see what it said. Her blood went cold. It read: We are watching you, you're in our line of fire. Candice and Georgette looked at each other with unspoken fear. Just as Georgette stepped on the gas pedal bullet ricocheted off the truck. She didn't look to see where they were coming from and took off at full speed. Georgette could see the end of the buildings where the open highway began again. Just as she thought they were safe she felt pain pierce her upper arm. She screamed out but kept going. When they were finally out of town she stomped on the brakes. Georgette looked at her arm. It was covered in blood. There was a bullet wound in her shoulder. Candice was already rummaging in the back for bandages and peroxide.

"Fuck!" she said, gripping her arm. The bullet had not gone all the way through and it was stuck somewhere inside her arm.

"We're gonna need to get the bullet out," said Candice, pulling out a pair of tweezers. If she didn't she'd get led poisoning or an infection. She put her arm on console in the middle of the seats. She felt her sister wiping the wound down with peroxide. It stung but she kept the pain to herself. She let out a hiss of pain as Candice drew back the skin and inserted the tweezers. She gripped onto the steering wheel as her sister dug around. "Got it!" said Candice. She pulled out a silver bullet and dropped it into the cup holders.

"You'd make a good nurse," said Georgette. Her sister seemed to patch her up whenever she got injured.

"Maybe someday," said Candice with a smile. After she'd bandaged Georgette's arm they got back on the road. "What would you be if we lived in the normal world?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Georgette, "Maybe a cop or something to do with the military." She would be happy to continue toting around guns and living a risky lifestyle, even if it meant getting shot in the arm once in awhile.

* * *

Candice fell asleep soon after fixing up her sister's arm. She could see herself as a doctor or a nurse. When she first had to amputate her sister's toes it had started out as a disturbing, terrifying experience but as she went on she got more confident about it. If she could help more people and not just her sister it would be awesome.

_She sunk into a deep sleep which opened up a whole new world. She was in a bedroom. It was pretty, with wood floors, a big white bed, and sunlight pouring through a long window. On the bed lay a blonde girl. Her face was blank, she wasn't smiling or frowning. Her hands rested on her stomach. She seemed to be alone. She remained motionless on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Candice jumped when the girl suddenly sat up and let out a sob. She wasn't sure what was going on. A second earlier the girl had seemed fine. She curled herself up into a ball and continued to cry. Candice was unsure what to do. There was no one around. The girl slipped out of the bed and went over to the window and looked outside. She clearly could not see Candice so she followed her and stood behind her. Outside Candice could see wide open fields, a barn and what looked like people carting away bodies. What had happened? She tried to get a better look at the people's faces. She didn't recognize any of them except for one man who was helping load several bodies into the back of a truck. It took her a moment to realize that he was the man from the jail, except his face wasn't bleeding and he had much less hair. She watched him intently, not realizing the girl had walked away from the window. She heard a door shut and looked to see that the girl had gone into the bathroom. She quickly followed her in. The girl was staring at herself in the mirror. Candice stood behind her again, seeing her own face in the mirror. She looked a lot like the girl. They had to be close in age. She had the same blonde hair, facial structures, eyes, and body. The girl walked away from the mirror and locked the door. She then went back to the sink and pulled out a small knife from inside her shirt sleeve. She brought the blade up to her wrist and to Candice's horror, sliced herself open. Blood immediately fell onto the floor at her feet, landing in thick ruby red droplets. Candice heard someone pounding on the door. She heard a woman's voice yelling in a deep southern drawl._

_"Beth open the door right now!"_

* * *

"Candice, we're in the next town." Georgette looked over at her sister who had just woken up.

"What?" she said, rubbing her eyes.

"We're in Glendo," said Georgette, "It's the next town on the map. It's really small but we should stop in anyway, see what we can find." She turned off the highway and drove down into the town. It wasn't much more then a cluster of mobile homes. It didn't look like anyone had been living there for awhile now. She drove around the town and spotted a pharmacy. She had yet to see one walker. She figured everyone who had lived there had cleared out to try and find sanctuary in the city, but she stayed on guard. She got out of the car and peered inside the windows. There didn't seem to be anything inside. She pulled open the door and found that the shelves were still stocked. She took what she knew they needed and then got out.

* * *

Candice looked at the map. They had two more towns left to go before Cheyenne. They had everything they needed now and probably wouldn't be stopping again. She put the map back up on the dashboard for her sister to keep an eye on. She looked in the rear view mirror and was surprised to see dark clouds behind them.

"Looks like it's gonna rain," she said. She saw her sister look behind them. She pulled over to the side of the road and got out. Candice followed her. They stood at the back of the truck listening. The clouds flashed with lightning and a loud rumble of thunder echoed throughout the valley.

"Looks like a bad storm," said Georgette. Candice could feel rain starting to softly fall, speckling the dusty, dry road with drops of water."We better go," They hurried back into the car and drove off.

* * *

Ten minutes later it was coming down in sheets. The windshield wipers couldn't keep up with the amount of the water and Georgette could barely see.

"Just pull over!" yelled Candice, but she was determined to keep going. Thunder shoke the car, and lightning flashed close around them. Suddenly she felt the car start to bump around. They were no longer on the road anymore. She looked out straight ahead and saw the shape of a building in the distance. She drove further and saw it was a barn. She stepped on the brakes. They skidded a few feet before coming to a complete stop. She turned off the truck. The rain sounded like bullets on the roof.

"Ready to run?" she said, looking over at Candice. She nodded. Georgette grabbed the bag full of meat and water. She threw open the door and jumped out. She was soaked instantly. She slammed the door shut and ran towards the house. A clap of thunder made her run faster and soon they were both at the barn door. Georgette yanked at it an pulled it open. It was dark and damp inside and she was pretty sure she had landed on a pile of old hay. Her sister pulled out her flashlight and turned it on. A walker lunged out of the darkness as them. Georgette reached for her gun to realize it wasn't in her belt where it usually was. She must of left it in the car. She dove out of the way as the walker landed on its face. She stomped down on its head with all her strength. Its skull caved in and her shoe was covered in brains. Disgusted, Georgette rubbed her shoe in the hay, trying to clean it off. She heard her sister say

"This'll do for the night." Georgette looked around. It was a typical barn, it had stalls for animals, and a hay loft with a ladder. It would do.


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks everyone for the reviews and support :) I'll be going away for a week and leaving Friday. I'll have no internet access so I won't be able to post until the 10th, but while I'm away, I'll be writing in a notebook so when I get back I can just type it out and post it. **

It was burning out again. Heat radiated off the cement and the sun beat down on her head, making her hair hot to touch and her neck sweaty. They had been walking for an hour now, Beth had already drank two bottles of water and they had to keep refilling it in whatever clean body of water they could find. Her feet hurt, her head hurt, she needed a break, but she knew Daryl was eager to keep going so she kept her mouth shut. They had yet to find a town or even a house, they were surrounded by dense forest. She took a sip of water which had become warm. Daryl turned around to check if she was keeping up. He must of seen her red, over-heated face and said

"We should probably take a quick break, fill up on some more water." They got off the road and went over into the trees. It didn't take them long to find a stream. Beth dumped the hot water from her bottle out into the river and then re-filled it with fresh, cold water. After Daryl was done filling his water Beth kneeled down in the river. The water felt amazing on her skin. She lay down on her back, soaking herself in it, forgetting Daryl was there. She heard him laugh. She opened her eyes to see him standing on the river's edge, looking down at her.

"This feels amazing," she said. She rolled over onto her stomach and dipped her face in. She looked up to see Daryl sitting with his shoes off and his feet in the water in front of her. "I wish we could just lay here," she said.

"If we wanna find someplace to stay by nightfall we better get goin'." He stood back up to put his shoes on. Feeling playful and wanting to stall and stay longer, Beth splashed him in the back of the legs as he turned around. She laughed when he looked back at her with a smile but didn't retaliate.

"Get on your feet girl, let's go," he said.

"Aww come on," she said, "we can't stay for five more minutes?"

"Alright," he said, "only five more minutes."

* * *

When they got back on the road Beth was cooled down for only a little while, then the water seemed to turn to sticky sweat. It was late noon and the sun had gone down some which made things a bit better. Daryl had since taken his shirt off which had been covered in sweat. Beth walked behind him, looking up at the deep scars that crossed his back. He had told her he had an abusive childhood, and she had no right to continue to ask him for more information about it. He must of sensed her watching him and turned around.

"Sorry," she said, putting her head down.

"It's alright," he said, "Everyone's got their own scars and stories to tell." Beth looked down at her wrist, remembering when she tried to kill herself back at the farm.

"What did you do before this?" she asked. "Like for a job?"

"I did some construction stuff and worked as a mechanic a bit. Nuthin' official, just jobs here and there, enough I could buy what I needed and live off the land at the same time." It was what Beth had expected him to say.

"Do you miss the old world?"

"Not much," he said "Too be honest, I have more motivation then I did before to go on livin'. There wasn't any space for someone like me in society." It bothered Beth and she said

"But we all like you,"

"But would your daddy and Rick have accepted me 'fore all this?" Beth didn't answer. "The end of the world got rid of social boundaries," he said. Beth remembered going to high school and all the cliques and bullshit drama her classmates would get themselves into. She was never part of the 'popular' group. She had been shy and focused on her school work. She almost laughed thinking about all the sleep she'd lost staying up late to study for tests, her mom telling her that in order to go to college she had to keep her grades up. Now none of it mattered.

"I remember school," she said, "I miss that sometimes, as much as I didn't like it when I was there." The day the disease had broken out her daddy had insisted she'd stay home from school. To her it had been a nice day off. But the next day the school was shut down and things were far worse. Her father had assured them that nothing could get to them in the big farmhouse with wide open fields. But then her mother and brother had been killed when they'd gone outside to get eggs from the chicken coop and feed the horses. Her life had spiraled downward in the short time of a week. Daryl laughed and said

"I sat in on the first day of class and never went back,"

"What'd you do all day when everyone else went to school?" she asked.

"Hunted, hung 'round with the other kids who didn't go to school. If you didn't like it you coulda just left," he said.

"I could never," she said, "My mom and daddy would of been horrified. I was already looking at colleges with them before all this happened."

"Well what didn't ya like about it?"

"Getting up early mostly," she said laughing, "and there was always that group of girls who would go around and make fun of me and my friends." She felt Daryl wrap his arm around her shoulders and say

"Well look where they are now, probably dead, still roamin' around the school." Beth smiled and said

"Ya I guess."

"And you're here with me, survivin'." She blushed a little and said

"I'm glad I'm with you." Not only did she have to admit she might have a crush on him, he was also the best survivalist out of the group besides Michonne.

The sun was setting and they knew they weren't going to find a house by sunset. They needed to find a place to settle for the night before it got to dark. They turned off the road and headed into the forest. They came across a densely packed area of bushes and trees and made there way to the middle of it. The leaves above provided somewhat of a roof for them and they were surrounded by branches and foliage that acted as walls. Beth unzipped the bag to find two cans of soup left. They better hunt down some squirrels or something before they starved. She tossed one to Daryl who didn't catch it.

"It's yours," he said.

"You need to eat," she said, "I'll be fine with just one,"

"I've gone longer without food," he said, holding it out to her. She shoke her head and said

"I'm not eating it."

"Goddamn girl, why you gotta be so stubborn," he said. He cracked open the can and tossed it back. They had just finished up eating when Beth heard footsteps outside of the bushes.

"What was that?" she asked. Before she knew it Daryl was on her, his hand over her mouth, shushing her. She listened again, there seemed to be more then one person. The footsteps were definitely those of a walker as they were slow and off pace. She squirmed under him uncomfortably. He held her down tighter. She felt his belt buckle pressing painfully into her lower back and tried to ignore the fact his crotch was resting on her ass. She made a sound of discomfort and he shoved his fingers in her mouth to shut her up. It tasted like dirt and she wanted to turn around and yell at him. The footsteps faded in the distance but he still remained on top of her.

* * *

Daryl stayed on Beth, listening and waiting. He wanted to absolutely sure they were gone. He was having a hard time keeping himself in control. He could feel her round ass with his dick through her tight jeans. He had to get off of her before she noticed. He leaned in and said

"Don't talk loud, they could still be around." He got off of her and she sat up, looking pissed. He shushed her again.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked.

"Just want to keep you safe," he said. She rolled her eyes at him. He hadn't touched himself since they left the prison. He had his private cell to do that in before, now he had no walls. If he could get away for more than ten minutes he'd feel so much better. He leaned against a tree trunk and tried to think of walkers rather than Beth's body.

It was dark out and Daryl sstill sat up against the tree. Beth was asleep across from him, her head resting on a soft patch of moss. As tried as he was he couldn't sleep. There was nothing but leaves protecting them from the outside world. He needed to keep Beth safe and stay on guard.


	20. Chapter 20

**The map of the girls path is posted on my profile as it wouldn't show up in the chapter I posted it in. I also put up pictures of Angela there. **

Georgette woke up with hay sticking uncomfortably into her back. She was leaning against the wall. Feeling groggy and sticky from the damp air she stood up and saw Candice lying in a pile of hay. She went over and shoke her awake. She awoke, looking like she felt as shitty as Georgette did.

"Is the storm over?" she asked. Georgette went and pulled the door open. It was so foggy out it looked as if they could cut it with a knife but it was no longer raining.

"Just foggy," she said, moving a hand through her tangled hair.

"Is it alright to keep going do you think?" asked Candice.

"I think we should," said Georgette, "I'll be able to drive."

When they went outside they realized that they had parked in a driveway that connected to a narrow road which was definitely not the highway.

"Shit," said Georgette.

"The highway can't be to far off," said Candice, "let's just head back up the road, that's gotta be the right way."

"Or it will take us further into the country," said Georgette.

"Well the only way to find out is to drive around and see if we can find any signs with directions." They got back into the truck to find all of their supplies still there. Georgette backed up out of the driveway and went back down the road. She kept her eye out for any road signs to indicated where they were. Even with her fog lights she was having trouble but she knew they had to keep going. She was confident about Cheyenne.

* * *

When they found their way back to the highway the fog only seemed to get thicker. The road was eerie and dark. Something about it gave her a terrible feeling that shoke her to the bone. They'd always been living in this world and were used to how lonely and dark it could be but for some reason it was hitting her full force as she drove. What if they got to Georgia only to find out that their parents were both dead? What if one of them died along the way? Would the other have the confidence to keep going? And what happened when they got to Georgia? Where would they look first? She wished Angela had lived and that she could of guided them back. Angela had told her how dangerous it had been escaping Georgia, what about getting back in?

* * *

_Georgette ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. She held Angela's hand who was running ahead of her. She looked up at Angela's shoulder to see her little sister's face. She was crying and wailing so loud it echoed throughout the winter forest around them. It was too late to try to calm her down and try and get her to be quiet, they were already being chased. She heard the sound of mens voices behind them and the roar of ATVs. She lost one of her little boots and her foot felt wet and cold but she didn't complain and kept running. They came to a small clearing and Angela stopped running. She felt afraid, if those men caught them they'd put them back in their cells and torture them._

_"Why are we stopping?" asked Georgette. Angela led her over to what looked like a small underground den._

_"Get in there and don't make a sound." Candice had since stopped crying and her small face looked like it was in shock. She handed her sister to her and attempted to hide the already masked entrance with leaves and covered up their tracks in the snow. "I'll be back for you. No matter how long it takes stay here, don't move." Georgette heard Angela run off, her footsteps fading in the distance. The sound of the ATVs got closer and she sunk further back into the den, holding Candice tight to her chest. Then they were right outside, walking around. She heard Candice let out a little whimper._

_"Shhh," she said. She put her hand lightly over the baby's mouth. She let out a louder whine. Georgette's heart was beating out of her chest as she heard one of the men say_

_"What was that?" Georgette held her breath, praying Candice wouldn't make another sound. After a minute she heard them say_

_"Come let's go, keep following the footprints." That's when Candice let out a loud cry._

_"They're over here!" Two men's face appeared in the hole. "Here they are!" They reached out and grabbed Georgette's leg. She screamed as loud as she could as they tugged on her. Keeping one arm on her sister, she grabbed on a root sticking out of the dirt. But it was no use, the man pulled her clean out of the den onto the ground. He picked her up by the scruff of her jacket. She thought it was all over. Then she heard a loud shriek and suddenly the man lurched forward, dropping her onto the ground. She felt sick when she saw the man in front of her with a hatchet in his head, blood pouring out onto the snow. Angela was there. She pulled the hatchet out of the mans head and swung it at the one of the two remaining men. It made a loud thud as it made contact. The last man grabbed onto her, wrapping his arm around her to keep her from thrashing out. Then he wrapped one of his thick hands around her neck. Georgette set Candice down on the ground and ran up to the man screaming._

_"DON'T HURT HER!" She beat against the man's leg, doing absolutely no damage. With one quick kick to the face, he sent Georgette flying backwards into the snow. Crying and bloody-faced Georgette got back up. She saw the hatchet still in the dead man's brain. Angela's face was turning blue as she struggled for air. Without thinking, Georgette ran over and pulled the hatchet out of the man's head. It made a sickening sound that made her stomach churn. She ran over and swung it as hard as she could into the man's leg. He let out a yell of pain and fell onto his knees. He released Angela who collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Georgette ran over to Angela._

_"Are you ok?!" she asked. Coughing Angela got to her feet and said_

_"I'll be fine." She took the hatchet from Georgette's hands and finished off the man with one swing. Georgette wiped her arm over her face, blood from her nose smearing all over pajama sleeve. She started crying, the pain and fear finally hitting her. Angela leaned down and pulled her into a hug._

_"We're gonna get out of here," she said, "We're never coming back. We're gonna go far far away." Georgette nodded, the thought of her dead mother and father brought more tears to her eyes._

_"I want my mommy and daddy!" she cried._

_"It's gonna be ok sweetheart," said Angela, tears pouring down her own face. She kissed Georgette on the cheek and stood up. She picked up Candice and held out her hand to Georgette. "Ready to go?" Georgette nodded, wiping her face again. She took Angela's hand and they walked off into the forest._

* * *

"I think there's a town coming up." They passed a green sign that read 'Wheatland, next left.' "Are we gonna stop?" she asked.

"We have everything we need, no point in getting back off the road," said Georgette. Candice noticed the cold edge in her tone and said

"Want me to drive the rest of the way?" Candice knew how to drive but Georgette was usually the one to do it. She liked it and wasn't afraid to go fast unlike her sister.

"No I got it," she said. Candice just shrugged and leaned back in her seat. They passed Wheatland quickly. From what she could see through the fog, it looked a little bit bigger then Glendo but Georgette didn't want to add more time to their trip.

She leaned her arm against the window, resting her head on her hand as she drove with her right one. She heard Candice playing with the radio again. She didn't pay much attention, expecting to hear nothing, but when she heard a soft voice through the static she sat up and said

"What was that?"

"I don't know," said Candice. The girls listened carefully. Georgette held her breath, not wanting to make a sound. The voice was a woman's she was sure of it. It kept fading in and out an she could barely make out anything. When she caught the word 'Cheyenne' she smiled and said

"I told you! I told you there were people in Cheyenne!" Excited she slammed down on the gas, the car accelerating to well over 100 miles per hour.

"We don't know what that could mean!" said Candice, "It could of been a warning to stay away from the city."

"We can't just go around the city not knowing if there's people there or not. If there is we need a place to stay, shower, sleep and get medical attention. I'm pretty sure the pain in my arm is getting worse!" Carefully Candice unwrapped the bandage from Georgette's arm. The bullet hole hadn't expanded but it was red and oozing. "I told you," said Georgette, "It's gonna get infected. I need antibiotics or something."

"Alright," she said, "But don't go driving in there like a madman, take it slow and make sure that if we need to, we can escape."

"Whatever you say," said Georgette.

* * *

The further south they drove the worse the fog became and it had started raining again.

"Sure you don't wanna stop in the next town?" asked Candice.

"Absolutely," said Georgette. She was hunched over the steering wheel, her eyes focused on the road. She was desperate to get to the city. They flew past the small village of Chugwater without slowing down.

Candice felt apprehensive about the whole thing. The radio signal could of been a warning rather than a greeting.

"These people may not throw down the welcome mat for everyone," she said, trying to get her sister to think realistically.

"We'll find out," she said.

* * *

_Daryl waited patiently. He was gonna get the fuck outta this cell, even if he died trying. He crouched near the door. He heard the men walking down the hallway towards his cell. They appeared at the door._

_"Move back!" said one of them to him. He got up on his feet, and moved away, a smirk playing on his face. Daryl was quick, the moment first had walked through the door He rose the sharpened rock above his head and brought it down onto the man's skull. He grabbed him and pulled him the cell and repeatedly bashed his head in. After the third strike the man had been knocked out and the second was on him. He brought his fist back and punched the man right in the crotch. The man fell to his knees and Daryl quickly smashed his head in. Clutching the rock he ran out of the cell. He had to find a way out. The hallways were a long series of never ending tunnels. All of the windows were up high near the ceiling and too small for him to get through. He continued to run, hoping nobody had been alerted about his escape yet. Finally he passed a room with long windows he could get through. He burst into the room and realized it was a nursery. Candice. Maybe she was here. There were several cribs set up but only about half of them were full. He frantically searched through each crib, looking for the familiar tuft of soft blonde hair and big blue eyes. None of the babies were his. He had the painful realization that she and Georgette were probably dead. The men had either killed them or they had lied to him about having them captive and they had run off into the woods after Beth's death. He threw the rock at the window as hard as he could it smashed, leaving a large hole. He quickly went over and pulled the remaining glass off the window pane, not paying attention to how cut up his hands were getting. He pushed himself up onto the window and jumped out._

_The cold air felt like sweet freedom and soothed the cuts and bruises on his face. He ran into the woods, not looking back. He had no weapons except for a blunt rock and his own fists. He had no idea where he was even going. Where was there to run off to? His family was gone, the group had been scattered and killed off, what was left for him. He stumbled over a hidden log and came down on his hands and knees. He took a deep breath. He let silent tears pour from his eyes and he dropped to the ground, his face in the cold snow. He felt something on his cheek. He sat up and looked down. It was a little purple boot. It took him a minute to realize it was Georgette's boot. It was the one he'd quickly put on her foot before they left the cabin. He never had paid much attention to what clothes the girls wore, he had left that to Beth. When it had been his job to dress them in the morning Beth would always complain about how he'd let them run around in horribly mismatched clothes. His hands shaking, he picked the boot up carefully and looked it over. There was no blood on it, it was just wet with melted snow. Did that mean she was still out there somewhere? Alive? What about Candice? Was she with her? Were they alone? He got to his feet and blindly ran forward. The boot had obviously been covered with snowfall. But judging by the amount it couldn't of been there for more than a day or two. They couldn't of gotten far, Georgette's running was the same speed as his walking, she'd be even slower if she was carrying Candice. A million questions flashed through his mind. How'd they escape the prison? Maybe they hadn't at all, maybe the men had dragged them out there to kill them. His fears were quickly becoming a reality as he stepped onto a patch of snow and when he lifted up his boot there was a chunk of dried blood stuck to the bottom of it. He quickly started digging. He uncovered more dried blood, but no bodies. He was a tracker but not a detective, he had no idea what it all meant. Without footprints it was hard to tell. All he could piece together was the girls had come out here either willingly or unwillingly and somebody had been killed or badly injured. He had thought the boot had been a confirmation that his girls were alive but now he was back to square one. He heard a dog barking off somewhere in the distance behind him and knew he had to keep moving._

* * *

The fog had cleared a bit and Georgette could see buildings in the distance. They had finally arrived.

"Slow down," said Candice, "Let's get a good look at how the city's laid out before we go barging in." Georgette was about to oblige and put her foot on the break when the truck lurched forward. The bumpy way the car was moving and the rising smoke told Georgette that the tires had all been blown out. She looked in her rear view mirror. She hadn't noticed it before but across the road was a spike strip. She looked back up to see a man in front of their car in a full armored suit. He had a gun in his hands. The car came to a stop in front of him. He came around to the driver's seat and yanked open the door, pointing his gun at her he said

"Get out of the car!"


	21. Chapter 21

Beth woke up to the birds chirping. And for a moment she thought she was sleeping out under the stars with her Shawn and Maggie back when they used to pretend to go camping in the backyard. She stretched and sat up and saw Daryl sitting against the tree across from her, widdling a stick down to a sharp point with a pocket knife.

"Morning," he said.

"Good morning," she looked around and remembered the previous night's events. "Have you been sitting against that tree all night?" she asked. He nodded, not looking up from his work.

"Kept watch," he said.

"All night? You didn't sleep?"

"Nope," he said.

"You could of woken me up I would of taken over a shift." He shrugged and said

"You needed your sleep." She rolled her eyes and said

"Got any breakfast?" He picked up a cooked squirrel from his bag and handed it to her. She dug in, not caring if she looked like an animal. All they'd been eating was cold soup and as much as she disliked squirrel it was cooked meat. "What are we doing today?" she asked.

"Walkin'," said Daryl.

* * *

They were on the road a half an hour later. It was hot out again and the sun still hadn't risen to its highest point. The grime and sweat from yesterday still was on Beth's skin and she felt gross. This time she walked behind Daryl because she didn't want him seeing how bad she looked. As much as she missed Judy and wished she could of found her she knew a baby would easily perish out in this kind of heat. All she could hope for was that someone had grabbed her and that they had found a nice safe place to stay. She hoped if she did find her that she'd remember her. She had just started trying to say her name. Beth smiled, remembering how she would moved wriggle excitedly in her little highchair when she saw her coming. She'd call her 'Bet', unable to pronounce the 'th' sound of her name. She saw Daryl looking back at her

"Whatcha smilin' about?" he asked.

"Thinking about Judy," she said.

"I'm sure someone grabbed her," he said. "They wouldn't leave 'er behind."

"I don't know," she said, "Everything happened so quickly." She suddenly felt angry. "Why didn't we have a better evacuation system or at least a designated place to meet."

"Never got that far," said Daryl, "All we had was the bus to take people out." Not wanting to think about it anymore, Beth took the last sip of her water.

"Can we find a place to fill up?" she asked.

"Ya, I'm out too," he said.

* * *

They found a big lake and Beth instantly looked out for cottages or docks but she couldn't see anything on the opposite shore, however there was a boat half sunken in the water, its bow sticking up diagonally. She watched as Daryl leaned over and filled up his bottle. It would be a great moment to clean off. She debated the pros and cons in her head. She wouldn't strip down naked, just to her undies. But how would Daryl react? And how would she build up the courage to take her clothes off in front of him? She started while his back was still turned. First she took off her shirt, revealing her light pink bra. Then her shorts and shoes. She ran into the water, completely shocking Daryl and soaking him. She sunk down into the water, laughing as he stood up, looking annoyed.

"What the hell you doin'?"

"Going for a swim," she said, "I feel so gross and sticky." He shoke his head at her and saw her clothes piled on the ground and said

"Get your naked ass outta there before I come in and drag it out." She laughed and said

"Go ahead."

* * *

Daryl's face felt hot. She was really pushing it this time. Either way this was going to end badly for him. If he went in there and tried to drag her out he'd have to put his hands on her bare body. If he waited for to come out he'd watch her walk out of the water, soaking wet in nothing but a bra and panties. She watched her go underwater and come back up, rubbing her fingers through her hair, getting clumps of dirt out.

"I'm gonna turn around and give you five minutes to come out and get dressed," he said. She just laughed at him and continued on with what she was doing. He turned around and went and sat on a rock, waiting for her. A small voice in his head kept telling him to go join her and show her whose boss but his logical thoughts quickly squashed it down. He took a quick peek behind him and saw her swimming out further.

Beth pulled herself onto the bow of the boat, sitting at the top. She looked down and could see as far as the glass windshield before the rest of the boat disappeared under the water. Daryl still had his back turned to her. Part of her was glad he wasn't looking at her but the other side wanted him to watch as she laid out in the sun, half naked. She felt a shot of excitement when he turned around. She waved at him and called out

"Come on over!" He turned back around. She smiled and looked back down in the water. She wondered if there was anything valuable in the boat. Anything they could use as a weapon. She slowly slipped down the side, her feet pressed against the glass. She slowly pushed herself up so she was standing on it. Then she heard it crack. She stood there for one terrifying moment and then she fell through the glass and plunged into the water below. Glass pierced her sides and legs, cutting her open. Screaming, she tried to lift herself out of the metal frame when something grabbed her foot.

* * *

Suddenly a scream broke the air. He whipped around to see Beth in the water, stuck inside the broken frame of the boat.

"Fuck!" He quickly took off his shirt and ran in. Fear gripped his heart as he swam towards her.

"It's got my foot!" she said. A moment later he saw a disgustingly water-logged walker rise up above the surface and wrap its arms around her shoulders. It's jaws snapped at her as she restrained it. The horrible bloody image of it taking a bite out of her delicate shoulder made him feel sick. He pumped his legs faster and reached the boat. He pulled his knife from his belt and quickly stabbed the walker in the head. He didn't see the full damage until he lifted her up out of the frame. Her legs and waist were sliced up, bits of glass sticking out of body was covered in blood.

"Goddamit Beth," he said. He held onto her with one arm and swam back with the other. He laid her out on the rocky shore. She was awake and breathing but loosing a lot of blood. She was in shock, her blue eyes wide open. Her tried to stay calm as he checked her over. The wounds were deep, especially a long one running down her right side by her rib cage. A simple bandage wouldn't change anything, she needed help. He picked her up and held her close in his arms. He ran back up to the road. There had to be a town or something close by, they' been walking for miles without seeing anything.

* * *

The world seemed to be fading in and out. She felt Daryl holding her. He was running, and she heard him whisper

"Gotta get you help darlin', just hang on for me." She was numb and despite being in Daryl's arms she felt like she was floating. Was she dying? She thought about her daddy, Shawn and her mom. Would she see them soon? She heard her father's voice in her head, reading the Bible verses. She thought about when she was little. He would tuck her into bed, kiss her goodnight, and turn on her little rainbow nightlight so she wouldn't be scared of the dark. She remembered the feeling of safety and security, lying in a warm bed, knowing her parents were right down the hall. It would never be like that again.

* * *

He kept running. There had to be something up the road somewhere. She felt her go limper in his arms. He looked down to see her eyes fluttering shut.

"Come on Beth," he said, "Just last a little longer." Her soft skin was slippery with blood. It soaked his clothes. He wished he could take her pain away. That he could somehow take all of it upon himself. If she died that would be the end of it. He had always been a loner but living with her for the past couple of weeks had changed him. He needed her to stay with him. When he heard a low rumbling sound he stopped and listened. It was definitely a car. With a new sense of hope he ran faster yelling

"Help! Somebody help!" His prayers were answered when he saw a car further up the road coming their way.

"Stop! Please stop!" The car came up to him and came to a halt. He held his breath as he waited for the driver to get out. He hoped to God that they would help. His jaw dropped when he saw who had stepped from the car. It was Carol.

**Uh oh Carol's in the picture now lol I thought it would be interesting to have her come back. But don't worry this is definitely NOT a Caryl story. Thanks everyone for your continued support and reviews :)**


	22. Chapter 22

Georgette slowly stepped from the car, her hands up above her head. The man prodded her with the barrel of the gun and said

"Walk to the building." Georgette looked up to see a long trailer set back a couple feet from the road. Ahead of her was Candice, also with a gunman behind her and one in front of her. She frantically looked around for a way to escape. Before she knew it she was being shoved through the door of the trailer. They were in a kitchen which was lit by candles set up on the table. They were being patted down for weapons when Georgette found the courage to speak up.

"Who are you?" The man who had been prodding the gun into her back looked at one of the other men before saying

"What do you want?" Candice spoke next

"We were just passing through, we mean no harm."

The man still held his gun up at them, his serious expression seemed to be set in stone. "Where do you come from?"

"Just up the road," said Georgette, "Maybe two hours from here, we are just trying to get out of Wyoming. Please don't hurt us, if there's a problem we'll be on our way." The man lowered his gun.

"Do you have supplies with you?" Georgette wasn't sure she should tell them. What if they took everything and left them for dead? Either way they would probably search the car and find it all.

"We do," said Georgette. Trying to help their chances of survival she said "We can share some of it with you if you're short, we have a lot to spare. I'm not even sure we need the majority of it." She started nervously babbling. "All I need is some antibiotics for this." She slowly unwrapped the bullet wound. The man looked over at the the other two again, in some kind of silent communication. He turned back to her.

"Have you ever traveled through Cheyenne?" Georgette shoke her head

"Like I said, we're just passing through, trying to get to the East coast."

"We've got a colony of over a thousand people here, we're extremely secure. We've got high walls, fresh food, everything. We guard the city, make sure nobody tries to overtake it."

"What other group has over a thousand people?" asked Georgette. That many people together had to be a rare occurrence.

"You'd be surprised," said the guard, "Ever since the end people have found each other, banded together in bigger groups. People aren't scattered like they used to be." Georgette felt excited

"Can you take us to the city!" The man looked apprehensive. "Please!" she said, "I just need to get patched up, then we'll be on our way. We can even work out a trade. You fix up my arm and I'll give you a whole bag of medicine, food, you can have your pick."

"Alright," said the man, "We'll take you back with us, go get your bags." The girls ran back out the door.

"I knew it!" said Georgette, "I knew there had to be people here!"

"You were right, said Candice, grabbing bags from the backseat. Georgette tried to turn the car on but it was dead.

"Don't worry about that," she turned around to see the three men. One of them held the reins of three horses in his hands. He turned to the other two and told them to stay behind to continue keeping watch. She was impressed.

"How'd you tame them?" she asked, petting one of the horses on the nose.

"We've got people in our colony from all different backgrounds," said the man. "Horse trainers, veterinarians, it wasn't hard to catch a few of them and break them in." He handed a horse to each of them. Georgette had never ridden a horse before. It'd couldn't be that difficult. She put one foot in the stirrup and tried to hoist herself up. She failed miserably. She tried to swing her leg over the other side, lost her balance and fell back onto the ground. She heard the man let out a laugh and shot him a dirty look.

"Never ridden a horse before," she said, standing up and dusting herself off. She tried it again and managed to get herself in the saddle. The man took the lead, after him was Candice. Her horse seemed to want to follow the others so it turned and followed close behind Candice's. It was only sprinkling out now but it was getting colder. She couldn't wait to get inside again.

* * *

It was about a five minute ride to reach the gates. Georgette was amazed. The gates were tall wooden slabs with thick walls made of old vehicles, tires, and other junk surrounding it. The man saw Georgette's amazed expression.

"It took years to build, I was part of the first thirty people who came here. We stayed in the top floor of one of the bigger buildings while we worked on it. New people kept arriving, looking for a place to settle. We accepted them, knowing there was strength in numbers." Georgette looked up to see people walking around the top of the wall, scrambling to get the gate open for them. It started to creak open. The town looked beautiful to Georgette. It was clean. There were no bodies or guts anywhere. The buildings didn't look broken down or out of shape. It looked like what she would imagine a city used to look like before the end.

"No one's out right now cause it's nearly night and it's raining," he said, "But tomorrow you'll see what it's really like." Tomorrow? Surprised, she said

"You're letting us stay?"

"We can get your arm fixed tonight and then see you off tomorrow," he said, "You seem like good people and I would invite you to stay but you said you're headed somewhere."

"To the east coast," said Georgette, "Georgia specifically."

"That's really far off," said the man, "What for?"

"We have family there," said Georgette, "Gotta see if we can find them." The man nodded and said

"Well I hope you get there," He stopped in front of a large brick building. "I'll introduce you to our president, she's a nice lady, she can work something out with you about the trade." They dismounted the horses and tied them to a post outside before going in. The room was big and well lit by candles. They followed the man to a door on the right. He knocked and a voice from inside told him to come in. He opened the door. Sitting at a desk was a woman. She was middle-aged had curly blonde hair and brown eyes behind a pair of glasses. She smiled and said

"What is it Tom?"

"Found these two at the border, they are just passing through." Georgette spoke up

"We're headed east but I've been hurt pretty bad," she revealed her arm, "And I was wondering if you could help me out in exchange for some of our supplies."

"We can do that," she said, "What do you have with you?" Georgette opened one of the bags and dumped out the medication on the woman's desk. She looked through them and sorted them out. "This will do," she said. "Our hospital is run twenty four hours a day so you can head over there right now, I'll have rooms arranged for you." Feeling grateful she said

"Thank you so much."

* * *

_Beth walked into the village's store. Well it wasn't exactly a store, it was a place people could go if they needed anything. It was all free stuff. It was constantly kept in stock by the everyday runs people went on. They had clothes, medicine, food, and one specific thing Beth had come for. She searched the shelves, and found what she was looking for on the bottom shelf. She slipped the little blue box into her pocket and headed back outside._

_She pulled her coat tighter around her in the cold winter air. She knew she had time to figure everything out. Daryl was out on a run and she had asked Angela to watch the girls for an hour. She got back to the cabin and went inside. Without even taking her coat off she went into the bathroom. She broke open the box and pulled out the small stick inside._

_Three minutes later she was sitting on the couch waiting, anxiously biting at her lip. She heard a knock at the door that made her jump in her seat. She hurried to the door. Angela was standing there with the girls._

_"Hey Beth," said Angela, "We had a great time, brought them down to the park for a bit but it was too cold to stay out so we went back to my cabin and played some board games." Georgette pushed past her mom's legs and ran into the living room. Beth took Candice from Angela._

_"Thanks for taking them," she said, "Had some things I had to get done." She said goodbye and then shut the door._

_"Mommy when's daddy coming back?"_

_"Soon," she said. As if on cue Daryl came through the door, putting his crossbow down and unzipping his heavy winter coat._

_"Daddy!" Georgette ran to him._

_"Hey sweetheart," he said, picking her up and kissing her. "Did you have a fun day with Angela?"_

_"I did," she said, she squirmed out of his arms and ran over to her little wooden dollhouse in the living room. He came over to her and pulled her into a hug, pressing his lips onto hers._

_"How was your day darlin'?" he asked, not letting her go._

_"Good," she said. As much as she loved getting attention from her husband she was itching to get back into the bathroom. Georgette interrupted them and said "Will you play dolls with me daddy?" She saw Daryl wince a little bit. She laughed and said_

_"Go on tough guy, go play dolls." He gave her one last peck on the lips before he turned and went to sit with Georgette over in the corner. She usually liked to watch them. Georgette would make up these wild stories and have she and Daryl act it out with the dolls._

_Candice started crying hungrily in her arms. Before she sat down on the couch to feed her she went into the bathroom and grabbed the stick which had been lying on the counter. She stuffed it into her pocket, not wanting to look at the results just yet. She cradled Candice in her arms, and brought down the sleeve on her right shoulder to let her breastfeed. When she was finished and Beth had burped her she brought her into the bedroom and placed her in her crib. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the pregnancy test. On it was a pink plus sign. A rush of excitement came over her. She had not planned for another baby so soon after Candice but it was exciting. It would be challenging with two babies to look after and Georgette but she had Daryl to help her. In a couple weeks the village would be celebrating Christmas. Although know one knew the exact date anymore, they always celebrated it after the snow started coming. She'd tell Daryl then, it would make an awesome gift._

* * *

Georgette left the hospital feeling much better. The doctor had given her medication, cleaned out the wound and properly bandaged it for her. Candice saw her coming and said

"Feel better?"

"Much better," said Georgette, "So where do we go next?"

"Tom said there'd be someone outside waiting to show us to our rooms. The girls went back out into the cold air. There was a woman waiting for them under the awning. She saw them coming and asked

"Are you Georgette and Candice?" They nodded and she said "I'll show you to your rooms." They followed her into a four story brick building next door. The place had clearly been an apartment building or hotel. They took two flights of stairs up and then followed the woman down a long hallway. She came to a door, unlocked it for them and handed Candice the key. "If you need anything just go down to the lobby, there's always someone on duty."

"Thanks," said Georgette. The two girls then went inside. The room was lit with candles. There were two beds, a bathroom and a small living area with a couch and desk.

"This is perfect," said Georgette, "They're so nice to take us in."

"You don't think they're gonna come and slaughter us in the middle of the night?" asked Candice. Georgette laughed and said

"No, they had the chance to kill us back on the road." Candice shrugged and Georgette said "It's gonna be fine." She paused for a moment and then said "I just wish we'd known about this place before Angela was killed."

"She was happy living in the country," said Candice, "She wouldn't of liked it here." A sad silence fell over the room. Without talking anymore they settled in, blowing out the candles and getting into bed.

**Thanks everyone for reviewing :) Big thanks to BetweenTwoPoints for giving me great feedback! It's great to have other writers and readers help you improve your writing. If anyone else wants to post constructive criticism don't be afraid too. :) I'll be going away early Friday morning and I might be able to get one more chapter out tomorrow but if not I'll post next Friday or Saturday when I get back. Thanks again and Bethyl on!**


	23. Chapter 23

Beth woke up in on a bed. She was in a wide open room. There were several other beds against the walls but they were empty. She tried to sit up but something was wrapped tightly around her midsection. She flew back the covers to see bandages covering her torso. She pushed back the covers further to see they were wrapped around her legs as well. She remembered falling through the glass and feeling the walker tugging her down. Were the bandages covering bites? Where was Daryl? Had he left her here to die? She struggled to get out of bed, feeling stiff with the heavy padding of the bandages. She limped over to the nearest door as she was about to grab the handle it opened. It took her brain a moment to process that it was Carol standing in front of her.

"Beth!" she said, sounding concerned, "What are you doing out of bed?"

"Where I am? What's going on?!"

"Let me take you back to bed," said Carol. She wrapped one of her arms around Beth's shoulders, supporting her as they made their way back over to the bed. When Beth sat down she began frantically questioning her again. "

"Where's Daryl?"

"He's here," said Carol, "He's fine and you're going to be fine."

"I wasn't bit?"

"No," said Carol, "Just pretty cut up. But you're going to be fine." Carol leaned in and pulled Beth into a hug. Beth hugged her back, she needed it. Carol had always been a motherly figure and taken care of her and the kids.

"Where's Daryl?" she asked. Carol smiled and said

"He's been worried sick about you, I'll go get him for you." Carol got up and walked out of the room. Beth looked around again. Where was she? The shades on the windows were drawn and she wasn't going to limp over and try to open them herself. A second later Carol reappeared with Daryl behind her. He looked exhausted with heavy bags under his eyes. She got up off the bed again and pulled him into a tight hug. He carefully hugged her back. Beth wasn't sure whether it was to avoid crushing the bandages or because Carol was there.

"You need to lay back down," he said, leading her back to the bed.

"Where are we?" she asked. Carol spoke up

"You're safe, we're in a secure town." She remembered everything Daryl had said about Carol being banished and she was sure it wasn't her place to ask about it. "We have a doctor here who will be coming to check in on you and make sure you're healing well."

"When can I come out?"

"When you feel well enough too."

"Well I feel fine now."

"Just wait until the doctor comes back and changes your bandages," said Carol. Part of Beth wanted Carol to leave so she could ask Daryl what was really going on.

* * *

Daryl watched as Carol continued to comfort Beth. She was going to be ok, thank God. They were safe here. Carol stood up from Beth's bedside and said

"We have some things we have to take care of, we'll be back later to check on you." For a brief moment he thought he saw a flash of annoyance in Beth's blue eyes. He went over to her and said

"Don' worry I'll be back," He smiled reassuringly. When she smiled back he took that as an ok for him to leave. He followed Carol back out into the hallway.

They walked down the road that ran through the center of the town.

"So you found this place," he said, breaking the silence.

"Ya," she said, "After Rick kicked me out, I wandered around for a week or so and then found my way here. It's been great. It's about the same size as Woodbury."

"The Governor took the prison, a couple weeks ago, me 'n Beth have been on the run ever since. We all got separated." Carol looked horrified and said

"He's still alive? Did the kids make it out?"

"No we killed him and most of his group. I'm not sure about the kids," said Daryl.

"Mika and Lizzie?" she asked, pressing him for information. He shoke his head

"I'm ain't sure, I didn't see them." Carol unexpectedly pulled him into a hug, he awkwardly put his arms on her shoulders, not sure exactly what to do. It was weird for him and he wasn't sure why. It didn't take him long to get used to the physical contact with Beth. When she hugged him he hugged her back as tight as he could without hurting her, like he was afraid of loosing her. He'd been close to Carol for a long time and he still couldn't properly bond with her. She stepped back, tears in her eyes.

"Do you think they could be alive?"

"I think so, they're strong kids," said Daryl, "I saw others runnin', the bus left with the Woodbury people." To be honest, he wasn't sure but he wasn't going to tell her that and upset her more.

"Beth seems different," said Carol, "More outspoken. If she had been injured badly back in the prison and I had told her to stay in bed she would of listened."

"The Governor killed her daddy, right in front of her 'n Maggie. Sliced his head off at the neck."

"Poor Hershel," said Carol, "What about the sickness?" Daryl knew where the conversation was going.

"It was clearin' up," he said, "Everyone was gettin' better." Carol was looking down at the ground, not speaking. Daryl had to ask her

"Did you really kill Karen 'n David?"

"Yes," said Carol, "I did."

"Are you coverin' for someone? If you are you can tell me, Rick's not here, Tyreese isn't either, you have nothing to worry about."

"I did it," said Carol, "I thought I was protecting the group but," she paused and took a deep breath, "I guess I was wrong."

"Someone was feedin' the walkers rats at the fence," said Daryl, "We also found a mutilated rat that someone had done an autopsy on. I figured maybe the same person who killed Karen n' Dave had done that too and you were coverin' for them." Carol shoke her head and said

"I have no idea about that, but I did kill them Daryl. I wouldn't lie to you." She looked up into his eyes and said "I've missed you."

"I missed you too," he said, feeling slightly uncomfortable again.

"I'll show you around."

"Shouldn't we wait for Beth?" he asked, looking back towards the hospital.

"I can show her later, she'll get along great here. There are other girls her age and plenty of guys she can meet. I'm sure the poor girl hasn't gotten over Zach and for her dad to be killed right after, meeting some new people might be good for her." Daryl felt a sharp twinge of anger. He wanted to tell Carol that Beth never had to get over Zach, that she had kept herself ready for his death long beforehand. He also wanted to let her know that Beth didn't need any other guy in her life, she had him to take care of her. But he kept his mouth shut and followed her down the street.

* * *

Beth couldn't help but feel angry Daryl had left her here alone. She was in a strange new place, nearly naked and covered with bandages. As mad as she was at him for leaving with Carol it had been good to see her again. Carol had always been around to help her out with Judith. She watched out for her, did laundry with her, she was one of the people she got along with best in the prison.

The door opened and she expected to see Carol again but it was a woman. She smiled at her and said

"Hi Beth, I'm Doctor Anna." Beth smiled and said

"Hi,"

"I'm just gonna take off you're bandages, check you over and put new ones on."

"Will I be able to leave after?" asked Beth, desperate to get back to Daryl.

"As long as nothing looks infected you can," said Anna.

Beth lay still as the doctor checked her over.

"All your injuries look clean and they're healing nicely, but I'm worried the one on your left side. Anna uncovered the wound. It was a long deep slit that stretched from under her rib cage to the top of her hip. It still oozed blood and looked nasty. "I pulled a pretty big piece of glass out of there," said Anna, "I'll clean it and give you some medicine to fight infection, then you can go."

* * *

Daryl stood inside the town hall, waiting for Carol. She had gone to get the supposed leader of the town. Daryl knew to be cautious. If the man even showed one sign of being like The Governor he'd grab Beth and leave as quickly as possible. She came out of the backroom with a man. He was tall and bald with graying facial hair. He looked to be in his 40's and had a slight limp in his step.

"This is Richard, he is the one who found the town." Richard held out his hand to Daryl who didn't take it. He awkwardly lowered his hand back to his side. Carol knew Daryl was thinking of the Governor so she said "He's kept this place running since the rise of the walkers." Daryl wasn't about to trust the guy right after meeting him.

"I've watched this place grow from twenty people to eighty," he said. "I'm only the one who presents ideas, it's a democracy here, everyone has a part in making the decisions." Daryl nodded, still not completely trusting the man.

"The last man I met who ran a town like this killed almost all his people."

"I'm nothing like that," said Richard, "The survival of everyone here is my number one priority. You and the girl you came here with are welcome to stay if you like," he said. Daryl was unsure about taking the offer. He looked up at Carol, her face hopeful, silently pleading with him to agree.

"I dunno," he said, "We've been searchin' for the others and we can't stop now."

"But they might find their way here," said Carol, "It's safer then being out on the road by yourself. Please Daryl." He shoke his head and said

"I've gotta talkta Beth first." He was done talking about it so he turned to Richard and said "Thanks for taking us in and helpin' Beth, I'll think about your offer."

"You can stay the night while you make your decision." Daryl nodded and said

"That would be best with the condition Beth is in."

* * *

Beth walked out onto the street. People walked around on the sidewalk and street like the world was back to normal, like nothing had changed. She smiled and looked up at the buildings. The highest they went was three stories. The building looked like they had been store fronts once but now it was clear people had turned them into their homes. The whole thing made her feel happy again, it helped her forgot the terrible world on the outside. She saw Daryl crossing the street coming towards, closely followed by Carol. She remembered how mad she was at him.

"What are you doin' out of bed?"

"The doctor said I could leave," she said coldly, "What have you been doing?"

"We needa talk," he said.

"We can go to my apartment," said Carol from behind them, "It's just up the road."

A few minutes later they stood in the kitchen of Carol's apartment.

"It's great here," she said, "They gave me this place when I moved in."

"How do you know this guy ain't like The Governor?"

"Because he's not," said Carol, "He's kept this place going for a long time, if he was like The Governor it would of all collapsed by now. I've gotten to know him, there's nothing wrong with him. He never had any children but lost his wife to the walkers."

"That doesn't mean anything," said Daryl stubbornly, "He could be hiding something." Beth sat at the table, listening to them go back and fourth.

"Please just trust me on this," she said, getting closer to him and putting her hands on his shoulder. Beth couldn't help but feel annoyed. She didn't have to touch him like that. She spoke up and said

"I like it here," He didn't seem to being paying attention to her, his attention was still on Carol. She already felt like she was being treated like a child again.

"I'm not gonna trust this guy until I see a reason why. We'll stay here while Beth heals up but after that we're gone."

**Thanks everyone for the reviews :) My flight got delayed until Saturday morning thanks to the snow so I'll be able to post a bit more. **


	24. Chapter 24

When Georgette woke up that morning she felt better rested than she had in a long time. It felt amazing. Her eyelids weren't heavy and she wasn't dragging her ass out of bed when she got up to look outside. It was sunny out and the sky was clear. She left Candice asleep and got dressed. She went outside the door. She made her way back down the stairs and went into the lobby. She was surprised to see that it was busy. A long table stood on the opposite wall. It was filled with food. She found plates on the end and made her way down. One side was filled with meat while the other had fruits and vegetables. She filled up a plate that could feed both her and Candice and then went back upstairs. She found Candice sitting up in bed rubbing her eyes.

"How was your sleep?"

"Amazing," said Candice, "These beds are so comfy." Georgette smiled and said

"I got some food."

The two girls sat on the couch and ate off the plate.

"So where are we headed next?" asked Candice, taking a bite out of an apple.

"We're gonna go east, which should take us to Nebraska," said Georgette, "But we need to find a map of Nebraska first." When they were finished with breakfast they headed back downstairs. Georgette spotted Tom, the guard who'd showed them around.

"Are you two leaving today?" he asked.

"We want too," said Georgette, "But we need some things first." They walked outside. There were tons of people. On the sidewalks, children playing, it was almost overwhelming for Georgette. She felt anxious. She'd never seen this many people at once. Candice however. was clearly enjoying it. She was beaming.

"This is amazing," said Candice, "I never knew there were this many people left." Tom turned to her and said

"What is it you need?"

"If it's not too much to ask, we need a map of Nebraska, or a map of the main roads in the U.S. and transportation." She knew they had been lucky to find a car the first time around. He nodded and said

"Come with me," Georgette snapped Candice out of her amazement and dragged her along. He led them to what looked like an old parking garage. But inside were wooden horse stalls that the people had obviously installed themselves with wooden boards and slabs. "We have around fifty horses here," he said, "It wouldn't hurt to let you have two of them, besides if we ever need more we can always go get more. As for the maps we only have one map of the full United States so we can't give you that but we do have a map of Nebraska you can have." Georgette was shocked at his generosity.

"Are you serious?"

"Ya," he said shrugging, "We're doing really well here, we can spare supplies. You know when the world first collapsed people were a lot less willing to share with others and help people out. People were desperate for supplies back then but now people are mostly in solid developed groups so there's much more to go around."

* * *

An hour later the horses were tacked up, they had their supplies tied down securely, and they had the map. They sat on the horses at the east gate of the city. One of the guards was there to send them off.

"Most of the way from here to Nebraska is all country, not much but a few farms here and there but once you get near the border of Nebraska there's a bigger town called Pine Bluffs. Be careful there, last person we had come from that direction said the place was overrun."

"Thanks," said Georgette, making sure they had everything. He gave the thumbs up for them to open the gate. It creaked open slowly and the girls moved there horses forward. Once they were out Georgette heard the gate closing behind them. They were on their way at last. Traveling through Wyoming to Cheyenne had felt like a small road trip, nothing serious. But now that they were past Cheyenne and almost out of Wyoming they were in uncharted territory, far from home, or what they had considered home. The ground was flat for miles. There were no more mountains in the distance. It was just wide open for miles, not a walker in sight. They kept the horses at a slow pace, not wanting to tire them out. They had a long journey ahead of them and they needed to conserve energy for when it was needed.

"That place was absolutely amazing," said Candice, clearly still in shock about all the people. "I didn't think places like that existed, do you think our parents are part of a group like that?"

"If they're alive," said Georgette. She wasn't to confident that either of their parents were alive, especially her mother.

* * *

_Beth found herself staring at a concrete wall when she awoke. Her head was pounding, where the hell was she? Holding a hand to her forehead she slowly sat up and looked around. She was on a cot in a jail cell. She thought maybe she was back in the prison four years ago. Her daddy would walk through the door and say good morning. Where were Daryl and the girls? Then she remembered it all, the flames, falling and cutting open her head and leg. Was she dead? Surely she'd been eaten by walkers, or maybe she had become one and this is where her soul went after turning. Her head was heavily bandaged along with her leg. A woman appeared at the door, holding a tray of food. She smiled at her and said_

_"How are you feeling?" Beth didn't know what to say. She had no idea where she was and Daryl and the girls weren't with her._

_"I-I don't know." The woman looked sympathetic and said_

_"Don't worry dear, we'll have you fixed up in no time."_

_"Where am I?" The woman looked down at her feet, an expression of discomfort crossed her face._

_"You're camp was attacked by our people and you're in our prison. You were nearly dead when we found you, couldn't leave you out there." Beth felt enraged._

_"You attacked our village and killed our people and now you expect me to want to be here!"_

_"There weren't many survivors," said the woman, still looking at her feet._

_"So am I your fucking prisoner now!? You're healing me but you're gonna leave me to rot in this cell!" The woman was shocked at Beth's reaction._

_"No, not at all, what little survivors we found were brought here to be a part of our group." None of it was making any sense to Beth. "We wanted your supplies, and you wouldn't give it up willingly so we took it from you." Beth got out of bed, ignoring the pain in her leg. She went at the woman, knocking the food from her hands._

_"Where's my husband and kids?! Are they dead?!" The woman pressed herself against the wall._

_"I don't know," she said fearfully, "Let me got get someone who would know." The woman slipped out the door, leaving Beth leaning against the bars, trying to piece things together. She had given the girls to Angela to take up to the hospital. Could they all still be there? A man appeared in front of her, standing in the hallway in front of the bars._

_"Glad to see you're doing well, Mrs. uhh-"_

_"Dixon," she said, grabbing onto the bars. "Why am I here?"_

_"You were one of the survivors," he said, "No point in killing you, might as well have you here."_

_"Well I don't want to be here," she said, "I want to see my husband and daughters."_

_"Sorry," he said, "Everyone else was killed except for you and four others. We even found that old hospital y'all were using as a safe house, blew it up." Beth felt her legs give out from underneath her. She closed her eyes tights, but tears flowed out._

_"What about my husband?"_

_"Dead probably," said the man, "The only other survivors were also women." Beth let out a sob. She couldn't believe what was happening. She was alone, all alone. A burst of rage sent her back on her feet, reaching through the bars, clawing at the man who stood just out of reach. She started screaming_

_"LET ME GO! I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!"_

_"You ain't going anywhere," said the man, laughing, "And besides what does it matter if your whole family is dead, where are you gonna go?" Beth knew the man was right but she wasn't going to give in. Screaming she continued to reach for the man through the bars. He laughed again and walked away back down the hall. She continued to scream until she sat limp against the bars, her body completely exhausted. She was sweating and crying, feeling sick to her stomach. She remembered Daryl's face before he ran off, looking determined and brave. She would never see him again, hear his voice, feel him wrap his strong arms around her and whisper about how much he loved her in her ear. Her poor girls were gone with him, never to grow up, never to discover the world around them, she was alone. But with another wave of nausea she remembered she had another child, the one growing within her. She put her hand on her still flat stomach and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. There was her motivation. She slowly got up off the floor and sat back down on the bed. She had something to live for. She had lost so much in her life, her mother, father, sister, brother, husband and two of her children. Killing herself would mean to kill yet another child and she wasn't going to do that._

* * *

It was dawn when they reached Pine Bluffs. They stood in front of the large blue sign that read 'Welcome to Pine Bluffs, WY.' It was the last town in Wyoming and once they got through they'd be in Nebraska.

"I think we should go back to that farm we saw, we shouldn't cross through or try to go around it at night, especially since they told us it was overrun." Georgette agreed with her sister. The sun had almost set, casting a deep orange glow over the ground. The farm was only about five minutes back and they'd get there before nightfall. They turned their horses around and headed back down the road.

The red farmhouse came into sight along with the white ranch styled home that stood next to it. The farmhouse looked to be in rough shape. Its roof was gone and big green vines seemed to have swallowed half of it. They went up the driveway and got off their horses.

"I'll check the house," said Georgette, "You check the barn." Candice nodded and they both headed off in opposite directions. Georgette walked onto the front porch and knocked on the window. A few seconds later two walkers appeared at the window, clawing at the glass.

Candice cut through the thick vines with her knife, clearing a path to the front door. When she finally got there she grabbed onto the handles and pulled as hard as she could. It took a few good tugs to finally get it half open. She cautiously looked inside. There was nothing. Just a few old stalls and hay. She went inside and made sure there were no walkers hiding in any of the stalls. When she came back out she saw Georgette dragging the bodies of two walkers out onto the ground.

"The house may look ok on the outside," she said, "But the inside is pretty rotted and smells like absolute shit."

"Well where do you wanna sleep?"

"I was thinking in the barn with the horses," she said, "Is there a hayloft?"

"Ya but it looks unstable." Georgette shrugged and said "We'll just have to take shifts and stay on the lookout." Candice remembered the soft bed back in Cheyenne and wished they could sleep on that another night.

They fed the horses and let them drink from a pond out back before locking up the barn for the night. Candice lay on a pile of hay while her sister sat on the last step of the hayloft's ladder.

"I'll wake you up in three hours," said Georgette, getting herself comfortable. Exhaustion took over and no matter how many straws of hay were stabbing into her back, Candice couldn't keep her eyes open.

**I've been doing nothing but writing all night lol thought I'd post this as well. So if anyone's confused, Daryl was told Beth was dead in order to torture him further. They also lied to Beth telling her that they blew up the hospital where as they actually took everyone they found there and questioned them and then killed them. Whatever people they could find alive later on were the ones they took in. So they're pretty bad people obviously. **


	25. Chapter 25

Beth sat across from Daryl, eating a piece of venison. He sat next to Carol who was also eating. Beth was tired of keeping quiet and she said

"So where will we be sleeping tonight?" Carol looked up and said

"Well I was thinking Daryl could stay with me in my apartment and I can arrange for you to have your own room." She looked up at Daryl, wanting to silently plead with him to not separate from her. He sat up and said

"Na-uh, I ain't leavin' Beth alone, we've come too far. I want her in my sight at all times." Beth smiled and looked over at Carol who looked surprised.

"Oh ok," she said, "I can find room for both of you in my apartment." Beth would have preferred them having their own separate room but they were lucky just to be here so she couldn't complain. Carol smiled and said

"Well you two can make yourselves at home, I have to go and help with the laundry. Feel free to take a walk around." Beth was thrilled to have some alone time with Daryl. Carol grabbed her things and left leaving the two of them in a ringing silence.

"Wow," she said, "I can't believe we found this place." If it was up to Beth she'd definitely stay here. They were better off staying here; it was a lot more than they had had at the prison. It seemed as if he read her mind and said

"We ain't stayin' here Beth," he said, "I'm not riskin' it. We can make it by ourselves until we meet up with the group. Carol can make her own choice on whether she wants to come or not."

"Everything here seems perfect," she said, trying to reason with him.

"It was that way with Woodbury," he said, "And look what happened."

"Please just take a look around a bit more."

* * *

The pleading look in her big blue eyes was getting to him. He knew there were no certainties back out on the road. Things could go bad in a split second like it had back in the house. But they barely knew anything about this place; they couldn't just put their lives into the hands of a stranger. He looked down at her. She was still looking up at him with a pleading look. He looked her over. Her light blonde hair was up in a messy bun. She looked so delicate, her thin petite frame wrapped in bandages. One thing could go wrong and she'd be gone forever. He sighed and couldn't believe he was giving in.

"Fine, I'll take a look around and think about it. But don' get your hopes up." She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. He hugged back pulling her into him.

* * *

Beth looked around as she walked down the sidewalk. She and Daryl had split up to look around. He wanted to find out more about Richard, the town leader. It was strange to be walking down the street like everything had gone back to normal. People in the town were obviously close and knew one another because she kept getting looks from people never having of seen her before. She looked at the storefronts, most of which had been converted into first floor apartments. She came to an intersection. The rest of the road was blocked off by tall walls of storage containers, the road going through horizontally continued on both sides. She went down the right side. This place was pretty big, bigger than they needed. It was clear the buildings down this street were not being used although they had been cleaned out. When Beth peered inside one of the windows all she saw were empty rooms, not a walker in sight. It was probably a good idea, no matter what people were going to keep having babies and the more people that found the town would bring in permanent residents. There were no other people on this street and she turned around, to walk back to the comforting fantasy that everything was back to normal.

* * *

Daryl stood in the center of the town, which was a large shopping square. The old faded out signs of what stores used to occupy the square had faded out over time. A Mcdonalds, Tjmaxx, Shaws Supermarket, old reminders of the past. People moved around, seemingly busy with whatever task they had. Something Daryl liked to see was that people carried weapons with them. Mostly it was handgun tucked into people's back pockets or belts. The Governor had taken away his people's weapons. He heard a voice from behind him.

"Amazing isn't it?" He turned around to see Richard there, smiling at him.

"Ya," he said, unsure of what to say to the man. He decided to play it safe and said "Just glad to see Carol again."

"She's a survivor," said Richard, "Drove in here with a car packed full of supplies. Usually a lot of the people who find this place are starving, injured or near death. But Carol surprised us all."

"All?"

"We're a very close community here," said Richard, "It's great, everybody knows each other. Didn't take long for her to fit right in." Daryl looked at him. He looked trustworthy. He had a warm smile on his face; he looked like he had nothing to hide.

"What kinda town you runnin'?" he asked.

"One that gives people a chance to rebuild their lives," said Richard, "A long term and hopefully permanent place to call home." Daryl didn't reply, and he said "You and you're daughter-"

"She's NOT my daughter," said Daryl, looking up at him. Richard looked surprised at Daryl's stern tone and said

"You two would be safe here. We need as many people as possible."

"Why? To raise an army?" said Daryl bitterly, thinking back to the Governor.

"No," said Richard, "People feel more secure in a larger group, the more people the more this place starts to feel like the way life used to be." Daryl knew it was true. "I lost my wife when this thing first started," he said, "It was just us and five other people. We had set up a small camp in the woods. We had a few tents, no walls but we took turns staying on guard. She left the tent one night to go get a drink of water." Richard closed his eyes and continued. "I heard a scream and I ran outside. She had been bitten in the neck. There was nothing I could do to save her."

"I'm sorry," said Daryl.

"We've all lost somebody," said Richard. Daryl instantly thought back to Merle. "But I want this place to help people heal. To help them see that it's not over, life can and will still go on." Daryl wouldn't admit that he liked what the man was saying. He wouldn't be persuaded that easily.

"Thanks for all your hospitality," said Daryl, "But me 'n Beth are looking for people." He knew it wasn't that good of an excuse. He and Beth could easily stay in the town and continue to search for the others.

"Think about it," said Richard, "You don't have to make a decision now, just consider it." He heard someone call out Richard's name from across the square. "I'll see you later," he said, and with that he was gone. Daryl figured he should go look for Beth. He walked towards the main road. As he was passing by a store he noticed people were going in and out. He changed direction and went to stand outside the entrance. He could see rows of shelves inside. He went inside and was surprised to see the first row was clothing. All folded neatly on each shelf. The next was weaponry. There were boxes of different kinds of bullets, knives and to his satisfaction, arrows. Maybe this place wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Beth continued to explore the streets. She wished Maggie were there with her, safe and sound. Where was her sister? Has she escaped with Glenn or were they also separated.

* * *

_Maggie crouched in the grass, tightly clutching her gun to her chest. She had been alone for a week now, aimlessly wandering around, eating what she could catch and kill. But it clearly wasn't enough. Her clothes were falling off her. It seemed every morning she had to tighten her belt just a bit more to keep her jeans up. She had been with Sasha and Bob for awhile before they had been driven apart by a large herd of walkers. Now she was completely alone. Or so she thought. She tried to hide herself further in the grass as she heard approaching footsteps. The person didn't sound like they were walking normally. They definitely had a limp or having a hard time walking. It could be a walker. The figure emerged from the thick foliage. She almost dropped her gun, it was Glenn. Her Glenn. He was in bad shape. He was covered in dirt and blood. He was stumbling and his clothes were torn. Before she knew what she was doing she had sprung up out of her spot and was running towards him. She wrapped her arms around him, sobbing. She felt him bring his arms around her and they collapsed together onto the ground._

_"I never thought I'd find you!" she said, her voice coming out in broken sobs._

_"The people," he said, "The Woodbury people, they're all dead and it's my fault." She looked into his eyes. He looked utterly traumatized and in a complete state of devastation. She took his face into her hands and he continued to talk. "I tried to keep things together. The camp got overrun so quick there was nothing I could do," he said, looking off beyond her, like he was staring into a different world. "Some ran off into the woods, but most of them-" He couldn't finish his sentence before breaking down in her arms. "We've got to get out of here," he said with a shutter. Maggie thought of her little sister, of all the others. The thought of Beth brought more tears to her eyes. Her poor little sister. If Beth was out there alone Maggie knew there was slim chance she'd survive. Her sister had hardened up over the time they'd lived at the prison but Maggie knew Beth, having spent most time caring for Judith, wouldn't be able to get very far alone. She helped Glenn to his feet. She knew there was a road beyond the clearing she had been hiding in. They could take shelter in a car there for the night. She knew Glenn knew how to hot wire a car and once he had come back to his senses they could get moving._

* * *

Beth walked by a tall wooden fence. She heard Carol's voice talking. She stopped and listened.

"You found some old friends?" asked a woman, her voice was unknown to Beth.

"Out on a run, found them in the road. Beth, the girl, was in pretty bad shape but Daryl was alright."

"Is she gonna be ok?"

"Ya, just got cut up, the doctors said she should be fine, just has to let herself heal up."

"You used to know them from the prison you use to live in?"

"Ya, Beth was one of the kids there. She used to help me with laundry and care for some of the younger ones." Beth felt slightly insulted; as usual she was being lumped in with the kids. "Daryl and I have known each other since the beginning," she said, "We've always had a connection, maybe now that he's here we can finally get closer." She had heard enough and decided to go in. She pushed open the gate. There were six women, all sitting around a large pond washing clothes.

"Oh hey Beth," said Carol smiling, "Have you gotten a good look around?"

"I have," said Beth, "This place seems great, hopefully I'll be able to persuade Daryl to stay."

"I'll talk to him for you," said Carol, "He's hard to budge." Beth wanted to stay she could take care of it herself but she kept her mouth shut. "Let me introduce you to everyone," she pointed out each woman and told her their names. She came to the last girl who was much younger, around Beth's own age. She had dark brown hair, freckles and darker skin. "This is Lily."

"Nice to meet you," said the girl, smiling at her.

"Nice to meet you too," she said.

"Maybe tomorrow you can show Beth around town some more," said Carol, "But it's getting close to dinner, we should probably finish up here." Lily nodded and said

"I'd be happy too."

* * *

After dinner they made their way back to Carol's apartment. Daryl was ready to sleep, he hadn't done much but he felt mentally overwhelmed by everything he'd seen and learned about the town today. It was much bigger than Woodbury. But his thoughts quickly shifted to a much more pressing problem, where was everyone sleeping? When they walked inside the apartment he made a beeline for the couch.

"I'll sleep here," he said, sitting down. He could see the slight disappointment on Carol's face.

"Are you sure?"

"I'll sleep with you," said Beth, "I don't mind." As much as Daryl wanted Beth in the same room as him and within his sight he didn't argue.

They were all in bed an hour later. Daryl was the only one awake, his mind still running. When he finally did manage to fall asleep it was quickly followed by a dream.

* * *

_This time he was ten. He was in the backseat of a pick-up truck. His father was driving, a bottle of beer in one hand, his other on the wheel. He looked out the window. He knew the route they were on instantly. A minute later they turned onto a bumpy dirt road. An old trailer home came into sight. They parked in front and his father got out, not acknowledging Daryl's presence as he walked up the front steps. They were at his uncle's house, his father's brother. Every Friday his father would go to his uncle's to have drinks. That meant he'd get to see Irving, his six year old cousin. Ever since his mother had died and Merle had been in jail it's been just him and his father. He was the only thing left for him to take his anger out on and the beatings were more frequent. Daryl tried to get out as much as possible, often staying overnight in the woods._

_His father knocked on the door and his uncle appeared. Just like his own father, he was abusive to Irving. His mother was long gone and Irving was in a similar situation to Daryl, only he had no other siblings. His father went inside, leaving the door open. Irving walked out onto the porch. He looked very similar to Merle, they had the same face, made the same expressions and while they may act the same way, he didn't treat Daryl as Merle would, considering he was older._

_The two boys went around the back of the house where an old swing set was stood, rusted and broken. They sat down on them anyway, not swinging but just sitting._

_"How's everything?" asked Daryl._

_"It's alright," said Irving, "When's Merle comin' back?" Daryl shrugged and said_

_"Ain't sure, my dad doesn't care much, I'm not sure he even knows." Daryl looked over at his cousin. He looked skinny, skinnier then the last time he'd seen him. His little jean overalls hung looked baggy on him. "Brought you somethin'," he said, pulling a bag full of squirrel meat out of his coat pocket. Irving's face lit up appreciatively._

_"Thanks," he said, tucking it into his own pocket. There was a moment of silence before Irving said "We should just run away, into the woods where we can build our own house 'n do whatever we want." Daryl smiled at the idea, he'd considered it many times but there was something that always held him back from leaving completely. Maybe it was because he wanted to see Merle when he returned, if he ever returned. He looked over at his cousin and said_

_"Maybe someday."_

_It would never happen. That next summer Irving and his uncle moved up into northern Tennessee and he never saw them again._

* * *

Daryl woke up, not as startled as he'd been after the last dream. He ran his hand over his face, remembering Irving's hopeful face. He was never sure what happened to them or if Irving was still alive. He'd wanted so much to look out for Irving as Merle had done for him. For awhile he had, bringing him food and giving him survival tips. Was he out there somewhere?

**Thanks so much to all my supporters and reviewers :) Sorry for the wait. I got home and had to get ready to head back to college right away. Hope you guys enjoyed this one :)**


	26. Chapter 26

Georgette woke up on the pile of hay, her body feeling stiff. She slowly sat up to see Candice roasting meat over a fire.

"Hungry?" asked Candice, turning around to look at her.

"Ya," said Georgette, rubbing the sleep out her eyes. She took a bite, her stomach hungrily growling for more. Meat never hit the spot when they had it for breakfast. They had been spoiled by the beacon and eggs Angela used to cook for them.

"How far are we going today?" asked Candice, putting out the fire.

"As far as Pine Bluffs was overrun, we should probably go around it." Georgette nodded and said

"We just have to make sure we don't get lost or off track." As they continued to eat in silence Georgette thought of what it would be like without Candice. Even if she did have the leadership role she didn't know if she'd be able to make the trip without her. It was just the two of them; they only could count on each other.

* * *

Beth Dixon stood anxiously in the yard gripping the wooden fence. She looked up and down the street. He was late again. Not that she ever saw him much anymore. Her son lived in his own house on the other side of town. It had been this way since he had become Vince's second-hand man. Vince had always kept an eye on Beau since he was a child, often taking him out to 'train.' Whatever that meant. She had never been let in on exactly what he was teaching her son. At first she thought it meant hunting trips but when her son started to get more violent towards her and other kids, even threatening people with knives, she suspected something far more sinister. What really set off alarm bells was when he started to come home with mutilated animals he'd done messy autopsies on. She confronted Vince on it but he told her not to worry, that it was all part of the plan to make Beau his successful second-hand man someday. Vince didn't have any sons of his own and she was unsure why he'd chosen Beau out of all the other boys. She started to hate Vince as she saw her son continue to spiral down. Now she never knew what he was up to these days.

She finally saw him coming down the street, his head down, looking at the ground, his black hair slicked back against his head. His usual black trench coat flapping around his legs in the wind. For a seventeen-year-old boy he looked mature. He had a dark five 'o clock shadow across his jaw and was around six feet tall. His eyes were a piercing blue and he had fair skin. His face was like Daryl's but his features had a soft touch to them like her own.

"Hey mom," he said, approaching the yard.

"Hey sweety," she said, "What have you been up too." As usual she didn't get a straight forward answer.

"Oh you know just been around, doin' stuff with Vince," he said, looking at her with a cold gaze. It sent a shiver up her spine. She was disturbed by the fact that her own son could give her the creeps.

"Why don't you come inside," she said, walking towards the front door. He didn't answer but opened the gate and followed her inside. Beth lived in a small one floor home. She had had it ever since they had come to Louisiana. After Vince had taken things over from the evil men who had kept her prisoner he gave everyone their own home. She had liked and respected him; she even thought for a brief while that maybe Vince was the man who would help her move on from mourning her dead husband. Especially with the way he had taken Beau in. That was until he had turned her son into a cold, unemotional person. He wasn't keeping things together like he had promised. People went missing every week and he had told everyone not to worry, that people were probably getting drunk and wandering off into the woods to meet an unfortunate fate. She was disgusted by everything he did. She remembered the day he took control, how things looked so bright for her and the others in the group.

He had stood on a podium and told them everything was going to be alright, that he would make things the way they should be. She had hated being under the control of the men who had killed her husband and daughters. The group had left the prison to move down to Louisiana to take over another village. Beth had gone with them. When they had arrived in Louisiana, they had tried to attack and overthrow the village like they had done with Beth's former home. But the leader, Vincent had beaten them, killing the evil men who had been in charge and merging the two groups together as one.

Her focus turned back to her son and she said

"Want something to eat?"

"No," he said, still standing by the front door.

"Well come on in and sit down." He pulled a chair out from the kitchen table and took a seat. "How have you been?" she asked, sitting across from him.

"Fine." She was determined to get more out of him.

"How are things going on your own?"

"Good." Beth let out a sigh of frustration. Beau had insisted on moving out soon after his sixteenth birthday. Beth had protested but of course, Vince let him do it. "I can only hang around for a bit longer, Vince wants me to go out with him." Beth spent another couple of minutes trying to get him to talk before he got up to leave.

"Well come see me again when you can," she said, opening the door for him.

"I will mom," he said, stepping outside. She watched him go down the walkway and out onto the street.

* * *

Beau continued down the street, back to his house. He put on the face he knew everyone wanted to see. He would be that guy, the one who cared about people, who would become a great leader someday. He smiled at people passing by, with the disappearances people were nervous, he needed to keep them calm or he wouldn't be able to continue his habits. They'd run scared and he'd have no one left to keep himself satisfied. He was one sick, sadistic motherfucker, and he loved it. He saw Vince waiting for him in front of his house.

"How's your mother?"

"She's fine," said Beau, a sick smirk still playing on his lips. He looked into Vince's eyes, which were as hungry as his. "Ready?" Vince nodded and the two men went inside the house. Beau took his jacket off and then removed his shirt and shoes. Wouldn't want to get blood on them, his mother might start assuming things. Vince did the same and he went over to the basement door and pulled it open. Steep concrete stairs led down into the darkness. It was damp and cold as they began to descend the stairs. Beau didn't need the light to know where he was going. He took a right when he reached the bottom of the steps and found the table. He reached into his pocket and took out a pack of matches. He quickly lit one and found a candlestick, lighting the wick on fire. It illuminated the room revealing a gruesome sight. Six women, were tied up on the floor. Most were missing legs and arms. He relished in the memory of their screams of pain as he tore them limb by limb slowly so he could feel himself get that wonderful high. He had cauterized the wounds so they didn't bleed out, and he could finish up with them later. Dead bodies hung from the ceiling like a meat locker. He had made sure to remove and pick apart the heads so they wouldn't become walkers. He'd usually spend some time opening up the bodies and removing the organs so the empty body was nothing more than a casing and could hang as a trophy. He'd even tried out a bit of cannibalism. One woman in particular caught his eye. She was blonde, probably around his own age, maybe a little older. She sat on the floor naked, whimpering through the gag in her mouth. Her terrified brown eyes fixed on him as he grew closer. He had spotted her on the street a few days ago; she had smiled at him and waved. It had been a fatal mistake. That next night he had drugged her, taken her from her room and brought her down into the cellar. She had yet to have anything removed. He unbuckled his belt as he got closer. He wasn't much for necrophilia; he always raped his victims while they were still whole before torturing and killing them. He saw Vince advance on another woman on the other side of the room. He had been the one to show him how great it felt, he was his mentor and the father he never had.

* * *

Georgette and Candice approached the welcome sign again. Georgette had the map out on her lap, looking at the route.

"We'll go north and then get back on the road once we pass by the town," she said, folding it back up. She steered her horse off to the side, slowly moving over a rocky ridge. Most of what lay out in front of them were wide open plain but off to the right, where they were headed, was thick with trees.

When they got down into the forest it was much darker and it gave her an uneasy feeling. Unnoticed by both sisters was a hand starting to emerge from underneath the leaves on the ground. Georgette's horse walked over it. It grabbed onto the back hoof. The horse reared up, surprising Georgette. In reaction, Candice's horse spooked as well and they both took off. Georgette felt her heart beat wildly as she wrapped her arm around the horse's neck, having of lost the reins. She shut her eyes, trying to focus on staying on the horse. She prayed that Candice was right behind her and she hadn't gone off in a different direction. She felt the horse leap into the air over a log and when it came down it stumbled. Georgette screamed as she fell forward off the horse. She hit the ground, instantly shielding her face as the horse moved over her, stepping on her leg and then taking off into the woods. Pain was shooting through her back and leg. She felt hands grabbing at her feet. She opened her eyes to see several walkers grabbing at her. She kicked at them as she reached for her knife in her back pocket. She pulled it out and quickly got on her feet, ignoring the screaming pain in her leg as she lunged forward and began to stab them in their heads. When she was done she collapsed back onto the ground. She looked around for Candice; she was no where in sight. She tried to push away the feeling of hopelessness and stood back up. To her horror more hands began to emerge out of the mud. It didn't take long for the walkers to come up out of the ground. They had been buried in shallow graves. She turned and ran; not waiting to see how many more would begin to rise.

* * *

Candice's horse kept running through the woods. She kept her head low to avoid branches. When the horse finally stopped Candice had no idea where she was. She was shaking and had gone limp. She slowly let herself fall off the horse's side and onto the ground. Her legs and arms felt loose and weak. What the hell had happened? Where was Georgette? She saw Georgette's horse next to her own but she wasn't in the saddle. She needed to go back and find her. She slowly got up, feeling much more stable. The horse stood a few feet away from her, nose to the ground, searching for grass to eat. Candice got back onto her horse and took the reins of Georgette's before turning around and going back.

* * *

Georgette saw her sister riding towards her.

"Get on," said Candice, tossing the reins to Georgette.

"We gotta go!" she said, swinging herself up onto the horse. The hoard of walkers were close behind her but maybe if they rode away fast enough, they'd lose their trail. Candice saw them quickly approaching and they took off into the woods. Georgette knew they were off the trail and it would be tricky to find their way back to the way back.

They burst out of the woods onto a dirt road. Without a second thought, Georgette turned her horse down the road.

"Where are you going?" said Candice, still facing the woods.

"There could be a house or something at the end of this, we need someplace to stay low for awhile, no matter what those walkers will be passing through here eventually."

It didn't take them long to ride up to a building. It wasn't a house but a windowless brick building. It was definitely an old warehouse of some sort. Georgette frantically rode around to the other side, searching for an entrance. She found a large garage door, half of it lifted up. It would be enough for the two of them to crawl under and go in but not the horses. She wasn't about to leave their only form of transportation out to be eaten. She dismounted and reached under the door, pulling as hard as she could. Candice joined her, the door was heavy and once they got it up enough that the horses could get through they stopped. She could hear the hisses of the walkers close by. She quickly led both of the horses inside. The walkers appeared as she pulled down on the door. They reached for her, their hands and heads sticking in underneath the door. Growling in frustration she pulled out her gun and began shooting them one by one. More replaced the ones she killed. She yelled out

"Candice! Help me!" Candice ran over and the two pushed down on the door. Candice let out a scream and she was pulled off her feet, several walkers grabbing at her. Georgette gave one hard push and the door slammed shut, cutting off several arms and a few heads. Candice lay on the floor, still in shock over what had happened.

"You ok?" Candice took off the severed hands that still clung to her legs and said

"Ya," Georgette helped her sister up off the ground. She could still hear the walkers beating on the walls outside, rattling the metal door, hungry and desperate to get inside.

**Thank you everyone for your support and reviews :) So big reveal in this chapter. Beth is still alive. I've always had an interest in serial killers and with Beau I wanted to give him a fucked up personality. I wanted to make a villain that would make The Governor not look so bad lol. Besides The Walking Dead other apocalyptic films have inspired me with this, whether they be zombie based or not. For example, The Road, an amazing film about a father and son trying to survive in a barren world, has a lot of horrifying elements to it such as cannibalism, torture, etc. I want to make Daryl's son an enemy and a bad seed that will create even more conflict later.**

**I added pictures of both Vince and Beau to my profile page. I also added a picture of Georgette, it's the top link underneath her name.**


	27. Chapter 27

Beth woke up to find herself alone in Carol's bed. She could smell something cooking in the kitchen. She slowly sat up and moved so she was sitting on the edge of the bed. As she started to stretch she felt a dull pain on the side of her torso as she reached upward. She lifted up the side of her shirt and saw that the large cut was still bandaged. She'd have to go back down to the hospital and get it checked out again. She stood up and went out into the kitchen. Carol was cooking beacon over the fire in the fireplace.

"Good morning," she said with a yawn. She noticed the couch where Daryl had been was empty, now just a jumble of blankets. She went over and sat down. The blankets were still warm from his body heat and she pulled them around her. The summer heat was starting to fade, soon it would be fall.

"Morning," said Carol, "How was your sleep?"

"The best I've had in a long time," said Beth, "Haven't slept on a proper bed in awhile."

"Daryl left a little while ago," said Carol, "Wanted to go out on a run." Beth smiled; did that mean he was agreeing to stay? "He went by himself though, wanted to catch his own deer and bring it back." Beth rolled her eyes, thinking of how stubborn he was. She pulled the blankets further around her, smelling his scent still on them. It was a deep outdoor smell mixed with cigarettes. She wished she could curl up with him on the sofa, feel him against her, run her hands down his muscled chest-

"Beth, earth to Beth," said Carol, suddenly snapping her fingers in front of her face. Beth came out of her steamy daydream to look up at Carol.

"Hmm?"

"I said are you going to go out with Lily today?"

"Oh ya," said Beth, remembering the dark haired girl she had met yesterday.

"She stopped by this morning to say if you wanted to hang out she'd be available around noon, she lives in the next building over on the second floor with her mom." Beth nodded and looked out the window. The sun hadn't completely risen to the center of the sky yet. She estimated she had about an hour till noon.

"I'll head on over in a bit," she said, "First I wanna get my cut checked out and re-bandaged." Carol finished cooking and the two sat down at the table to eat.

"I heard about your father," said Carol, "I'm so sorry Beth; we all loved him very much. He was an amazing man who did great things. I know things are looking down right now but if you ever need anyone to talk to I'm always here for you." Beth felt Carol's words warm her heart. She had always been a mother figure to her. She had done most her crying in Daryl's arms but next time she was feeling down she'd take Carol up on her offer.

* * *

Beth sat in one of the chairs as the doctor slowly peeled off her bandage to get a look at the wound. It fell off and Beth was surprised to see that the cut didn't look much better than it had last time. In fact it looked slightly worse. It was red and oozy and when the doctor washed it clean with a sanitized wipe it stung and started to painfully throb.

"It's infected," said the doctor, taking a closer look, "But it's not too bad, I'll put you on a stronger antibiotic and every night you should clean it. If it seems to be getting worse, come back." The doctor put a lighter bandage over the cut and she was done.

* * *

_Maggie sat in the passenger seat; looking out the window. She carefully scanned the landscape for any signs of movement, hoping it would be someone from the group. Whenever she did see something and she got Glenn to stop, it was just walkers. Glenn had recovered well enough to start up the car and drive but he still wasn't one hundred percent, mentally or physically. It had been a couple of days since they'd found each other. They'd been on the road ever since, only stopping to eat and switch off on driving._

_"My little sister's out there," said Maggie, thinking of Beth. She had left her to go get Glenn to the bus. She had wanted to come with her but Maggie had refused, telling her she needed to get the kids on the bus. She felt terrible about it now; if she had let Beth come with her she'd be there with her now. Glenn knew how she was feeling and said_

_"Don't blame yourself." His voice came out raspy, the sickness still affecting him. "I'm sure she's fine, she wouldn't have gone off alone, she probably found someone and went with them." Maggie tried to remember back and think of all the possible people Beth could have run off with. It could be anybody besides herself, Sasha, Bob and Glenn. There was a good chance she hadn't been with Tyreese either since she'd seen him with some of the kids, running towards the woods. So that left Michonne, Rick, Carl or Daryl. One of them had to have taken her with them. She'd trust any one of them to keep her sister safe._

* * *

Beth walked across the street back towards Carol's house. She followed her directions and went into the building next door. She ascended the staircase, first passing by the door that led to the first floor unit. When she came to the second door she lightly knocked on the door. A moment later a brunette women opened the door, smiling down at her.

"Hello, what can I do for you?"

"Is Lily here?"

"Once second," she said, turning and walking back inside. She heard her call out Lily's name in the background. She heard approaching footsteps and Lily appeared in the doorway.

"Oh hey Beth," she said, "Glad you came." Lily stepped out of the doorway and shut the door behind her. "You wanna go look around a bit? I have some friends I can introduce you too." Beth smiled and said

"That'd be nice."

* * *

Daryl walked up the stairs, the dead deer over his shoulder. It wasn't big, just a little doe, nothing he couldn't handle. When he reached the top of the stairs he knocked on Carol's door. She answered the door and he saw the shocked look on her face.

"You brought it inside?!"

"Course I did, what the hell else was I gonna do with it."

"You could have given it to the butcher to take care of."

"No way," he said, "I can do it myself." He had left a trail of blood behind him, having of dripped off the deer. He saw Carol look disgusted. He smiled and said

"This place has softened you up, back at the prison you wouldn't have cared." Carol shot him an annoyed look before she moved aside and let him walk in. He put the deer down on the tile floor, ignoring the splatter of blood that it created when it hit the ground.

"Where's Beth?" he said, looking around the apartment.

"Went out with a new friend."

"Ain't she the social butterfly," he said with a twinge of annoyance in his voice, "Already meetin' people." Carol laughed and said

"You should stop being so stubborn and try to meet some people."

"What's the point when we'll be leavin' soon?"

"I wouldn't count on that," said Carol, "Beth seems pretty happy here." She saw his muscles bunch up in annoyance again.

"Then I'll just have to drag her outta here myself." Carol narrowed her eyes and said

"What does it matter if Beth goes with you or not?"

"Because-" he was searching for an answer, "Because when I find Maggie she's gonna wanna see her sister." It was a lame excuse and he knew it. He wasn't even sure if they would find anybody, never mind Maggie. Carol seemed to drop it, not wanting to get into an argument. He meant what he'd said. If Beth was gonna act like a brat and refuse to go with him, he'd pick her up and carry her out of here. He wasn't going to leave her behind. She needed to be with him. He poured himself a glass of water and started to drink.

"You shouldn't go back out there," she said, "You should stay here with me. Everything could work out. Beth has no parental guidance anymore, no one to look up to or feel secure with. Maybe over time the three of us could become a sort of family unit, she needs some kind fatherly figure in her life." He choked on the water and spit it out, coughing and gasping for air. "Are you ok?!" she asked running over to his side as he leaned over and continued to cough. Fatherly figure?! She was suggesting he be Beth's new fatherly figure? He could never see her as a daughter. He smirked to himself, although he wouldn't mind if she called him daddy.

"There's no way I'm gonna be her new 'fatherly' figure. There's nothin' fatherly about me Carol."

"You were pretty good with Judy." That was true but he hadn't felt fatherly towards Judith, at most he had felt like an uncle and Judith had been a baby.

"Don' matter," he said, "I could never be a father." Just the word scared him. It brought back memories of his own father, coming drunkenly towards him with a belt. Carol shrugged and said

"Well Beth needs somebody to be there for her."

"I think she's gonna be jus' fine," said Daryl, taking the last sip out of his glass. "The worst has already passed."

"What do you mean?"

"She wouldn't stop cryin' for the full forty-eight hours after we left the prison. She even triedta kill herself. She's strong now; she's gotten it all out. She's gonna be fine."

"I'm just worried about her," said Carol. Daryl softened a bit when he saw the deep concern in Carol's eyes. He pulled her into a hug and said

"Everythin's gonna be fine, we'll keep an eye on her." He felt Carol hug him back and he jumped a little bit. Physical contact used to send him running but spending all that time with Beth clinging to him had loosened him up a bit.

* * *

Beth followed Lily through the gate of tall fence.

"This is my friend's house, she should be here." Lily knocked on the door. It opened a moment later. A tall Asian girl with long straight black hair stood in the doorway. "Kate this is Beth, Beth this is Kate," said Lily. Beth smiled and said

"Hey." The girl smiled back and said

"Hi, are you new here?" Beth nodded and said

"Got here two days ago." The girl shut the door and they stood in the yard.

"So who'd you come with?"

"A friend of mine." She wasn't sure what she considered Daryl exactly. He certainly wasn't a father or brother to her.

The girls left the yard and continued down the street. Beth stood next to Lily, listening to the two girls talk. It was all gossip, and while Beth had never been that type of girl back at school it gave her a feeling of normalcy which she liked. If they were talking like this then it meant there were lots of other teens around and the community felt settled. They were passing by Carol's building when she saw a group of boys approaching them. She heard Kate let out a little squeal of excitement.

"Here comes Jason," she said, gripping onto Lily's arm. Beth then asked

"Whose Jason?"

"He's the guy she likes," said Lily, rolling her eyes playfully. The boys all looked to be around her age, maybe a bit older. There were four of them.

"Hey girls," said one of them smiling. Beth couldn't help but want to sink into the ground. It had been awhile since she'd been faced with talking to this many guys her own age at once. There had been Zach and Jimmy but it had been different. This felt like high school again, a group of guys walking towards her in the hallway had been intimidating.

"Hey Jason," said Kate, her gaze specifically on the blonde boy standing across from her. Lily had started to talk to the others. Beth stayed back, not wanting to catch any attention. Unfortunately one of the boys saw her standing off to the side. He was tall with bright brown hair and dark brown eyes. He smiled at her and said

"Hey, what's your name?" Beth couldn't speak for a moment, still feeling intimidated.

"I'm Beth."

"I'm Steve," he said, "I've never seen you around before?"

"I just came here."

* * *

Daryl sat on the floor of Carol's kitchen cutting up the deer into pieces of meat. He had convinced her to let him use the tile floor as a place to cut it up. He tried to keep the blood contained but it was impossible and it was smeared on the floor around him. Carol was standing over by the window, looking out at the street.

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Beth's down there." Daryl was on his feet in an instant.

"Somethin' wrong?" he asked, going over to her side.

"No looks like she made some more friends." Daryl looked down to see Beth standing with a group of people. She was talking to a boy. He felt his temper flare. She was laughing and smiling at whatever the boy was saying.

"I'm goin' to get her." Carol grabbed his arm and said

"Just let her socialize." He pulled away and was out the door. He went down the stairs and outside. He watched them. He could see the way he was looking at her. Fucker would be sorry for ever laying his eyes on Beth if he tried anything. His Beth. He called out to her.

"Hey Beth come inside, I wanna show you something'."

* * *

Beth turned to see Daryl standing over on the sidewalk. Steve saw him to and said

"That your dad?"

"No," said Beth, "just a friend of mine." She saw the impatient look in Daryl's eyes and said, "I'll see you around Steve." He smiled at her and said

"I look forward to it." She said goodbye to the others and walked over to Daryl.

"Who's that?"

"Just a guy I met." There was another emotion hidden behind the impatience in Daryl's eyes, jealousy perhaps? She'd like to think so.

"Come on, I wanna show you how to properly gut a deer. She looked at him confused.

"Inside?"

When Daryl brought her up to Carol's apartment she was absolutely disgusted. It reeked of blood. "You're doing this in here?!"

"Well where the hell else would I do it?"

"Outside!"

"I'd rather do it in here," She rolled her eyes at him and went into the bedroom, trying to escape the smell. She sat down on the bed and realized something. The deer had already been gutted when she had walked in, its stomach cut open and hollow. The gut pile had been next to the body. Why would Daryl tell her he wanted to show her how to do it if he'd already done it?

**Thanks everyone for your reviews and support :) I was slightly nervous about everyone's reaction to Beau. I felt like it was a risky move but I'm glad you all are fine with it. The drama will keep building lol.**


	28. Chapter 28

Georgette had been hoping there would have been something in warehouse to help them, weapons would have been great. But they found themselves in an old toy warehouse. All there was were boxes of doll heads, arms and legs. It gave her the creeps. She could still hear the walkers around the warehouse and there was no way they were leaving tonight. It was a wide open building, with shelves up to the ceiling and old machinery. It was damp and chilly inside, and Georgette wished her leather jacket had sleeves. They found a small room in the back of the building. There were old computers and boxes piled on the desk. She went to sit in a cushioned leather chair, hoping to take a minute and relax but the moment she sat down the chair collapsed under her weight, sending her backwards. She laughed, staying on the floor. It was a light moment in the darkness. She heard Candice laughing with her. She pulled herself up so she was sitting with her back against the wall. Candice joined her, leaning her head into her shoulder. They sat like that for awhile. Georgette closed her eyes and thought about everything they had been through. She wished she could remember something from their life in Georgia. Anything at all.

* * *

_Beth stood at the counter, cutting up pieces of meat for dinner. Behind her, in the living room Candice lay in her little bouncy chair. Georgette was busy with her dollhouse. She was brushing the hair of one of the dolls, humming to herself. She couldn't help but feel bored. Her mom had been cooking all day. It was her daddy's birthday and she wanted to make a big dinner. She put her doll down and went into the kitchen. She tugged at her mom's pant leg. She looked down at her._

_"Mommy will you let me brush your hair." Beth smiled at her but said_

_"I can't now sweetie, I have to finish up here. But maybe after." Georgette sighed in frustration, walking back into the living room. She saw Candice sitting in her chair nearby, sucking on a pacifier. When she had first been born she had had no hair but within the past couple of months she had grown a thick layer of soft light blonde hair. She saw her coming and reached out to her with her tiny little fingers, giggling behind the pacifier. Georgette went over and ran her hand over her sister's soft head. She could brush her hair. But she needed hair clips to make it pretty. She knew her mom had some in her room. She went into her parent's bedroom and stuck her hand up onto her mom's dresser, searching for her clips with her hand as she was not tall enough to see the surface. She grabbed a handful of little black clips and went back into the living room. She began to gently brush her sister's hair, loving how silky soft it was. When she was done she separated the hair into three pieces and then put the clips on each. To her it looked great; to anyone else it made Candice look like she had three antennas sticking out of her head. She still felt like she wasn't done. She went over and took out a pack of markers from the drawer and took out the red marker. Sometimes she'd see her mom use lipstick and other makeup. But it was only on special occasions, usually when Angela took her and her sister so her parents could have some time alone. She'd even found it on her daddy once and Georgette had laughed at the idea of her daddy using makeup. She had been feeling the stubble on his chin that had grown in since the last time he'd shaved when she spotted the blurred marks of the lipstick on his neck._

_She knew her mother kept her makeup bag up in the cupboard over the bathroom sink ever since she had tried to put it all over herself a few weeks ago. She'd have to settle for markers. She uncapped the red one and said_

_"You're gonna look beautiful when I'm done." She started to draw on her sister's cheeks. Instead of circles she drew hearts which looked much prettier. Then she took the pink marker and started to color them in. Candice continued to giggle as she reached out for the marker herself. Georgette gave her the green one to hold onto. A minute later she heard the door open. She turned to see her dad walking in. He saw what she was doing and dropped the bag he was carrying._

_"What are you doin'?!" he said, coming over and pulling the markers out of her hands._

_"I'm making Candice all pretty," said Georgette with a smile. Her mother had also came over to see what was going on._

_"Georgette what have you done?!" said Beth, pulling Candice out of her chair to get a better look at her face. The tone of her mother's voice sounded angry. She looked at her dad for support; he never got mad at her. When she pulled something like this he'd usually laugh while her mother tried to lecture her._

_"Will you go clean her face off," said Beth, handing Candice over to Daryl. He had a smirk on his face._

_"I think it's kinda funny," he said, "She doesn't seem to mind." Candice was still smiling, big pink hearts on her cheeks. She saw her mother roll her eyes at him. He took her sister into the bathroom. Her mother crouched down to her level and said_

_"I know you're bored but can you please behave yourself while I finish up dinner." Georgette crossed her arms over her chest, her little attitude showing through. Beth knew she was going to have to compromise. "Wanna help me finish?" _

* * *

That next morning they woke up and wasted no time getting back on the road. There weren't many walkers still around and it was easy to leave and head back down the road.

"This dirt road has to lead somewhere," said Georgette, "We'll keep following it until we get to the interstate." By following the old road signs it was easy for them to navigate their way back. When they turned onto the exit to the highway Georgette felt a rush of adrenaline at seeing the wide open road. There were a few cars here and there but nothing to get in their way. Cheyenne hadn't had much cars around it because the people living there had cleared it out. She knew when they reached more populated areas staying on the road might not be possible. Not only would it be clogged with cars it'd be overrun with walkers. They passed a sign that read 'Welcome to Nebraska.'

"We're finally out of Wyoming!" said Georgette with a smile. Candice didn't share her sister's enthusiasm. It was like a slap to the face. They were a long way away from home now. There would be no going back or changing her mind.

They went for miles on the open road, picking up speed every once in awhile and then slowing down to give the horses a rest. They got off to take a rest and give the horses some water on the side of the road. Georgette looked to see what they had left for ammo. Two boxes of bullets. They needed to be careful how they used them. Bullets were impossible to find. When they had first arrived in Wyoming, the first thing Angela had done was stalk up on weaponry and ammo. All they had left was what they had taken with them the night of her death. Once they were out they were out for good. There would be no more left. They needed more than just butcher knives as back up weapons once they ran out. Georgette closed her eyes and lay back in the soft grass.

* * *

_Georgette walked along with Angela, still in shock over everything that had happened. She hardly noticed how cold her foot was, now only in a thin white sock. The tears had frozen to her face, making it feel like stone. The image of the three dead men in the clearing was stuck in her mind, the sickening sound of the axe making contact with the man's head still sent disturbed shivers down her back. Angela still had it. It was tucked into a belt loop. The long handle made it awkward for her to walk but she couldn't do much as she had Candice in one arm and Georgette's hand in the other. The bloody blade glinted at her in the sunlight; she tried not to look at it._

_From behind her she heard a hissing sound behind her. She turned around to see a walker coming towards her, its arms outstretched, lunging for her. More appeared out from behind the trees. Georgette had never seen one before. She had heard about them. She had asked her daddy why she was never allowed outside the fence of the village. He had explained to her that there were evil monsters outside that lurked around waiting to eat people and the fence was the barrier between them and us. Her mother never allowed her to go to the fence because she didn't want her to see them trying to get inside. She had told her when she was older she could go. Her father had argued, saying that she needed to see them and face reality to be prepared for anything but her mother had won. It was grotesque. It looked like something that had once been human. It was a man. He was bare chest and had jeans on. It's skin was stretched tight across its bones. It was covered with blood and wounds. Its teeth and gums were fully exposed as the skin around its mouth had rotted away. Its eyes were glassy and white. It grabbed onto her before Angela could react, its bony hand grabbing hard onto her shoulder, snapping its teeth at her. She tried to back up and tripped. Before the walker could land on her Angela kicked it over._

_"Come on!" said Angela, grabbing her hand and helping her to her feet. The others were quickly advancing on them so they took off running again. They burst out of the woods and onto a road. "We need to find a car," said Angela, not slowing down. They found one a little further down the road. Angela quickly opened the door and put them in the car. She went around to the front of the car and opened up the hood. Georgette held Candice in her lap, pulling her blanket tighter around her. She spotted something pink tucked into the pocket on the back of the seat. She pulled it out. It was a stuffed pink horse. She let Candice take it and wrap her little arms around it. Georgette put her arms around the both of them. Five minutes later Angela got into the driver's seat. Georgette asked_

_"Where are we going?"_

_"To find a new home," said Angela, trying to keep her voice sounding positive._

_"Where?"_

_"We're gonna go back to where I used to live, far away in Wyoming. But first we have a stop to make." She put the car in drive and they went down the road. Georgette slumped down in her seat, not wanting to look out the window. They came to a halt ten minutes later. Angela turned around to look at her. "I want you to stay here; I'll only be gone for a minute." Georgette sat up and looked outside. It was their old home. She felt tears come to her eyes when she saw that everything had been burnt to the ground. There weren't any houses left standing, the fence lay flat on the ground and the trees were burnt to crisps. She did see a few walkers around._

_"Can I please come with you?!"_

_"It's too dangerous out there, you have to stay here and watch over your sister."_

_"I'll carry her; I promise I'll stay right behind you!" Angela looked at her pleading face and gave in._

_"Fine, but stay close to me at all times, don't go wandering off." They got out of the car, Georgette still holding Candice tightly to her. The few walkers that came for them Angela easily took out with the axe. Georgette tried not to look at their bodies as they walked by. Without the houses the place looked bare and unfamiliar but as Georgette walked in between two burnt piles that used to be homes she started to recognize where she was. Her house was just up ahead. When they came to it all that was left was a blackened shell. There was still smoke rising from it. Angela went in first._

_"Do you remember if your daddy left any guns or weapons we could use?" Georgette was to awe stricken to answer. She walked into what used to be their kitchen. The cabinets were gone and now just a pile of ash. The walls had been burnt out so she could see into the bedrooms. Everything was gone. The flames had destroyed everything. She remembered a safe her dad kept under the bed. She'd seen him put some handguns in it before but the long guns and his crossbow were kept on a rack by the front door. Without speaking she ran into her parent's bedroom. The bed was a pile of rubble. She handed Candice to Angela and began to dig, covering herself in dark ash in the process. She finally came to it. It had been blackened but not destroyed._

_"I don't know the combination," she said, pulling on the lock. Angela handed Candice back to her._

_"Step back," Georgette went back into the living room. She watched as Angela swung the axe, breaking the lock off the front. She opened the door. With a smile she pulled out three handguns and several boxes of ammunition. They left the house but instead of going back to the car Angela went in the opposite direction. "I need to go see if your mother is still there," said Angela, leaning down and looking into Georgette's eyes. "Go back to the car and take this." She handed Georgette one of the pistols. "If you see a walker aim at it and pull the trigger. Scream if you get overrun," Georgette remembered when her father had taught her how to use a gun. It hadn't been loaded but he had showed her how to aim and pull the trigger. It had been another thing her mom had been opposed too but agreed when her dad said they'd use no bullets. _

* * *

_Angela watched Georgette go safely back to the car and then walked towards where she'd left Beth. When she got there she found what she had expected. The grass and moss was still covered in dry blood but her body was not there. There was no doubt in her mind that she had been eaten by walkers or become one herself. Thank god she had not seen her among the walkers she'd taken down when they first got there, Georgette didn't need to see that. She turned away and walked back to the car, ready to leave it all behind. _

* * *

They had been on the road for about nine hours now. The sun was setting and they needed a place to stay. They kept riding until they found an exit. A road leading to a small gas station branched off to the left. That would have to do for the night. They rode down to it and dismounted.

"I'm gonna go check for walkers," said Georgette, pulling out her knife, "Stay here and watch the horses." She walked up to the glass door and knocked on it to draw any walkers out from hiding. Nothing. She pulled on the handle and was surprised to find it locked. She pulled harder, rattling the door. It was no use; they'd have to find another way in. Just as she was about to turn away and walk around back she saw someone walk out into view inside. It was a man and he had a gun pointed at her. She heard him yell from inside.

"Don't move!"

**This was a bit of a filler chapter until the end. Not much happens on the open road in the middle of nowhere lol, that's why I used a lot of flashbacks. But things will heat up for the girls after this. Thanks everyone for your reviews and support :) I will also be posting a map of the girls path through Nebraska in my profile tomorrow.**


	29. Chapter 29

Beth went to bed early that night. The day had been long and overwhelming and it felt amazing to lay back into the soft bed, something she hadn't felt in ages. Sure the prisons had had cots but they had been lumpy and stiff. She had left Daryl in the kitchen, sharpening his knives and Carol had been reading a book on the couch. She kept the door halfway open to let some light in. She shut her eyes and tried to get some sleep. It didn't last long. She couldn't help but listen into Daryl's and Carol's conversation. It was about Karen and Dave.

"I'm still findin' it hard to believe you were the one to kill the two of them." She heard Carol sigh and say

"I had to protect the prison as best I could."

"It didn' work," said Daryl, "People just kept gettin' sicker." Beth could hear the bothered tone in his voice. She knew he didn't like it. Even if Carol had opened her arms to them she knew he was still disturbed by what she had done. She smiled to herself. She was getting good at reading him through his expressions and voice.

"I know," said Carol, "But I had to do something." Daryl didn't answer. Beth slowly pushed the covers back and crept to the door. She looked out of the crack and saw them. Daryl was still standing at the counter and Carol had moved to stand next to him. She smiled and said "Do you forgive me pookie?" Daryl didn't look up at her. He looked like he was lost in thought. All he did was grunt back to her. She must have taken it as a yes because she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm headed to bed now; I'll see you in the morning." It took a minute for Beth to come out of the jealous trance she was in. When she saw Carol walking towards the room she dashed back to the bed. Carol entered the room just as Beth had pulled the covers back over her. She heard her shut the bedroom door and start changing into pajamas. She kept her eyes shut tight, not moving a muscle. Why was she so jealous? She knew that Carol had been into Daryl, it was no secret. But how did Daryl feel about her? And more importantly, how did she herself feel about Daryl? She felt Carol quietly get into bed next to her. She felt her lean over and press a light kiss on her temple.

"Goodnight Bethy," she said, "Sweet dreams." It didn't help Beth's confusion. Carol was like a mother to her. She loved her and cared for her. She had been her guide and confidant. She had told her nearly everything, except for her confusion over Daryl. She could never tell her that. It would drive a wedge between them.

* * *

The next morning Beth woke up to a wonderful breakfast again. Carol smiled at her when she walked out. This time Daryl was sitting at the table and eating.

"Morning," she said, "Beacon and eggs again." Beth felt her stomach growl and she said

"I haven't had anything so good or filling in a long time." She saw Daryl look up at her in mock anger and say

"What about my squirrels and deer?" She smiled and said

"They were good but this really hits the spot." She sat down next to him.

"It's also good for you," said Carol, scooping the beacon off the pan and onto a plate. "Put some meat on your bones." Beth had lost a good amount of weight since the start of the apocalypse. She could see her ribs and her hip bones. Stress and lack of food had thrown her body cycle way off. Caol finished cooking and came to join them at the table. "You know they're going on a big run today," she said to Daryl, "You should join them."

"Maybe," he said, leaning back into his chair.

* * *

Daryl had given in and gone on the run with the other men. It was just she and Carol left in the apartment. Beth was getting dressed, happy to finally have a mirror to look at herself in. She found herself worrying about how her hair looked, trying to make her clothes look as neat as possible despite all the dirt and holes in it. What was wrong with her? She hadn't cared so much about appearance after the start of the apocalypse.

"You wanna come visit a friend with me?" Carol stood in the doorway of the bedroom. Beth turned around quickly, not wanting her to see her fixing herself up.

"Sure," she said with a smile.

"She just had a baby," said Carol, "She'll be happy to have visitors."

Her friend's house was just across the street. When Beth walked in she could hear a baby crying in the background. Carol called out

"Brenna it's just me." A woman appeared in the doorway of the kitchen holding a small bundle. She could hear the baby still letting out small cries. The woman was pretty but she looked tired. Her blonde hair looked unkempt, there were bags under her eyes and her voice cracked with exhaustion as she spoke.

"Oh great to see you Carol," Carol went forward and gave her a light hug.

"How's she doing," said Carol, smiling down at the baby.

"She's doing great," said Brenna, "But I on the other hand wish I could get some sleep, been up all night with her." Beth approached the woman slowly and looked down at the baby. She was adorable. She had wide blue eyes, a small tuft of strawberry blonde hair and round chubby cheeks. She stopped fussing and looked up at her. Carol introduced her

"This is Beth," Brenna smiled at her and said

"I think she likes you," She felt a painful stab in her chest as she remembered Judith. She reached out for the baby and Carol gave her over. Beth felt tears well up in her eyes as the baby reached out at her with her tiny hands. Carol must have noticed because she put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in. Beth looked up at Brenna and said

"What's her name?"

"Gwen." Beth felt the motherly instinct take over as it had with Judith. She was nervous to ask Brenna. She had just met her.

"You know," she said, "You look really tired, if you want I could help you out with her." Hoping she would say yes she continued. "I used to take care of a little girl back where I came from until-" Beth couldn't continue, she knew she'd break down if she did. Carol finished for her.

"Beth did a great job with all the kids, especially the baby. She's a natural at being a mother." Beth expected Brenna to refuse. With the world they lived in Beth would understand if she didn't want her baby in the hands of someone else. She looked up and was surprised to see Brenna smiling.

"I would love that."

* * *

Daryl sat in the back of the pickup truck with five other men. Another empty truck drove behind them to carry the animals they killed. They had left the boundaries of the town twenty minutes ago.

"Where are we goin'?" he asked, looking at the man sitting next to him.

"We have a place we like to hunt at; we always bring home a big catch." The farther away they got the more annoyed he was getting. He didn't want to be too far away from Beth. When the truck finally came to a halt he was the first up and on the ground. They were told to meet back at the truck in two hours and split up in groups of two. Daryl would have preferred to work alone. He was paired with the man who had talked to him in the truck.

"You new around here?" he asked, walking up beside him.

"Ya," he said "Got here two days ago."

"You like it so far?" Daryl grunted and said

"Not really sure," There was silence between them as they continued to walk deeper into the woods. He looked over at the man. He was tall; dark skinned and had a scar down the left side of his face. He had a hat on that looked military. He looked trustworthy enough.

"So what's the deal with this place," he said, "Is it safe or what? Does that guy Richard keep his word?"

"I've been here since he started the place up, he's a great guy, and without him we would have never prospered like we did. We haven't had a breach of the walls in a long time," he paused and then said "Probably been over a year now." Daryl couldn't help but be impressed. Maybe it wouldn't be such a terrible place to stay after all. "I'm Damian," said the man. He slowly let his guard down and said

"Daryl."

"You like to hunt?"

"That's my job," he said, "I'm a tracker."

"Good," said Damien, "We need as many of those as we can get."

* * *

Beth sat on the floor of Carol's living room. She watched as Gwen played happily with a rattle. She had brought the baby over to Carol's to let Brenna get some much needed sleep. Carol stood at the kitchen counter watching her.

"It was nice of you to take her," she said, "Brenna hasn't had much rest since she got here."

"How come," said Beth, not sure if she wanted to hear another tragic story.

"She came here a couple of months ago alone. Her husband had been killed and she had been running for miles. Luckily she and the baby were both ok but she's been in a bad state ever since." Beth tickled Gwen lightly on the stomach, getting the baby to laugh.

"I just miss Judy so much."

"She could be alive out there," said Carol, "You never saw her get attacked; she could have easily been picked up by somebody." Beth tried to find comfort in Carol's words. But she knew people had depended on her to take care of Judith. "I have to go help with errands," said Carol, "Are you ok here by yourself?"

"Ya I'll be fine." She heard Carol leave. Brenna had written Beth a brief schedule of Gwen's sleeping and eating habits. And according to the paper it was almost nap time. She looked around for something that could be used as a substitute for a crib. She found a cardboard box and started putting blankets in it. Then she started to rock the baby to sleep. She held Gwen at her shoulder, and started to sing. Her voice echoed through the apartment, soothing not only the baby but herself. She had just tucked her in when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it to see Steve standing there.

"Oh hey," she said, "What's up."

"I heard you singing," he said "I live a couple doors down and thought I'd come see you." Beth smiled and let him in. "It sounded great by the way."

"Thanks," she said, feeling her face heat up in a blush, "I was just putting the baby to bed."

"You have a baby?!" he said, sounding shocked. She laughed and said

"No I'm just taking care of her for someone."

"So is it just you here?" he asked.

"For now," she said, "Carol's gone out to do some errands and Daryl went hunting."

"Daryl?"

"He's the guy who was calling to me yesterday."

* * *

Daryl aimed his crossbow at the unsuspecting deer. He made sure he was perfectly on target before pulling the trigger. The arrow impaled the deer in its neck and it fell over. He sat up, feeling triumphant.

"Nice shot," said Damien, hoisting his own catch over his shoulder. Daryl went over to where the deer had fallen and found it dead. He tied it up by the back hooves and picked it up. It was a big buck with huge antlers and despite his strength it was going to be hard to carry all the way back. Damien had his own deer to worry about it. "We better head back." The two men walked in the direction they had come. It wasn't too hard to move through the forest, the men had cleared several paths. Daryl noticed something he hadn't seen when they had walked in. A road off to the right. He saw something else. He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating. He walked towards it, leaving Damien confused. It was a motorcycle. Not his motorcycle but it was better than nothing. It stood up straight on its kick-stand.

"What are you doing?" said Damien, coming out of the woods after him.

"Gonna take this back with us too." He went around the other side to see that the keys were still in the ignition. It was like God had left it there for him to find.

When he rode back in it was around dinner time and he was hungry. He felt so free and alive riding on a motorcycle. He thought he'd never get the chance to again. He rode through the gates and followed the truck towards the main kitchen where all the meals were prepared. It was attached to the cafeteria area where they ate. He helped them take the days catch off the truck and then got back on his motorcycle. Damien walked up before he could leave.

"We'll be going on another run the day after tomorrow, you coming with us?" Daryl nodded and said

"I'll be there."

When he got back to the apartment he put the motorcycle in the alleyway next to the building and went inside. As he was approaching the door to the apartment he heard a laugh. It was Beth. Maybe Carol was with her? He opened the door and felt his blood boil. Beth and Steve were sitting on the couch together. Beth turned and saw him standing there. She looked shocked like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I n an angry tone he said

"What are you two doin'?!"

"Just hanging out," said Beth, "Do you have a problem?" All thoughts of not wanting to upset her left his mind.

"Ya I do," Before he could continue a sharp cry broke the air. It was a baby's cry. For a brief second he thought maybe it was Judith, maybe Beth had somehow her. It was coming from Carol's bedroom.

"Look Beth I think I better go," said Steve, casting a frightened glance over at Daryl, "I'll see you around." Beth said goodbye and was up in an instant and in the bedroom. Daryl followed her and stood in the doorway she leaned over and picked up the baby out of a box. The baby calmed down instantly. She walked over to him and Daryl got a good look at the baby. Not Judith. She put the baby back in the crib and then turned to face him. He didn't have much time for disappointment as she snapped at him.

"What the hell was that?!" she said, her face twisted in anger.

"That kid clearly wants one thing from you." He was pissing her off even more.

"He's a nice guy," said Beth, "And what do you care?" He didn't answer her and said

"Fuckin' prick has no right to come in here and try to take advantage of you! Just wants to get his dick wet."

* * *

"You have no right to tell me what to do!" She was completely enraged now. She wanted to say something that would bother him as much as he was bothering her. She smiled and said "And what does it matter, maybe I just want one thing too." She had gotten the reaction she wanted. His face turned red with fury. She walked past him back into the kitchen. She felt him grab her arm. "Let me go!" She turned to look at him. His green eyes were narrowed at her.

"I ain't gonna let you do that."

"Why do you care?!" she yelled, "It's none of your business!" Suddenly Carol walked in. Daryl let go of her arm and stood up straight again. Still angry and slightly embarrassed she went back into the bedroom to get Gwen.

* * *

That night was awkward. It was clear they had been arguing but Carol didn't bring it up. Beth had brought Gwen back to Brenna and now they were all eating dinner at the table. They would finish off the meat he had cut up in the apartment and then start to eat down in the café.

"So whose baby is that?" said Daryl, looking at Carol, avoiding Beth's gaze. He wanted to act like he was still mad. He didn't want to be the one to apologize first. Truthfully, he wanted to take her into his arms and tell her he was sorry. To tell her that the only reason he had been so angry was because he hated seeing her with another guy.

"She's the daughter of a friend," said Carol, "She's been having a tough time taking care of her herself so Beth volunteered to help out." It was just like his Beth to do something so sweet. He looked back down at his food and continued to eat. A moment later Beth had finished eating. She got up and cleaned her plate off and then went into the bedroom, shutting the door. Carol looked over at him and said

"What'd you do?"

"I walked in and she had that boy in here with 'er."

"You've gotta let her branch out and meet new people," said Carol, "I know you want what you think is best for her." He felt her put his hand over his and say "See you'd make a good father figure." Daryl cringed at the word. He didn't want to tell her that he wasn't being protective like a father but out of jealousy.

**Thanks everyone for the reviews and support :) The map of the girls path through Nebraska is now up. I also did a cover photo for this story which is posted on my profile as well. Editing pictures and photoshop is not my specialty but I thought it came out pretty good.**


	30. Chapter 30

Georgette stayed absolutely still. The man came to the door and undid a bundle of chains that had kept the door locked tight. He came outside, still pointing the gun at her. He turned to see Candice standing in shock.

"You too, over here!" Candice dropped the reins and obeyed, walking slowly over to Georgette's side.

"If this is your place we can just go, no trouble."

"I don't think so," said the man, "What do you have in those bags?" Georgette made eye contact with Candice. Neither answered, not wanting to give away all of the supplies they had. The man held the gun closer and said, "Get inside the building!" He followed them in as they went through the doorway. The gas station had clearly run out of supplies a long time ago. The shelves were empty. He brought them up to a door at the back of the room. "Open it." Georgette considered pulling her gun out and trying to shot him before he could pull the trigger. The man must have sensed her pause and said "Drop your weapons." Georgette put her hand around the handle of her gun. She pulled it out of her belt loop and was about to turn around when she heard a shot go off behind her. It made her ears ring painfully. She looked at the floor to see the man had shot near her feet. He pressed the gun to her back and said "Drop it!" She did as she was told and heard her handgun clatter to the floor as she let go. She turned the knob on the door and saw a short hallway. There were two doors, one at the end and one off to the left. They walked down and came to the last door. She opened that one too. It was a dark concrete room with one small window near the ceiling. She felt him push them both into the room and then slam the door.

"Hey!" she said, getting back to her feet. "Who the hell do you think you are putting us in here!" She grabbed onto the handle and yanked. It was locked. It angered her even more. She pounded on the door with her fist. "FUCKING LET US OUT!" Candice stood behind her, shocked by what had happened. Georgette stopped yelling and listened closely. She heard the door at the end of the hallway shut. She heard Candice say

"What the hell just happened?"

"I don't know," said Georgette, "But we're gonna get out of here." She started beating on the door again. She went on for what felt like hours. She started to leave bloody prints as she continued to hit harder and broke the skin.

"Stop," She turned around to see Candice sitting on the floor behind her, "You're hurting yourself." Her hands were bloody and bruised. Exhausted and in pain she went over and sat next to her sister. She took a deep breath and said

"What do you think he wanted?"

"Our supplies probably, I wonder what he'll do with us." Georgette didn't have an answer, but she wasn't going to let this be the end of their journey after making it this far. The room slowly got darker as the sun set and the small ray of light coming through the little glass window faded. Soon they were in complete darkness. Georgette was dozing off when she heard the hallway door shut. She sat up and said

"Listen, that's gotta be him." They crawled over to the door. They heard his footsteps and then another door opening and closing. "He must be living in the other room," she said, "I didn't see him when I looked inside earlier."

"Do you think it's just him here?"

"I don't know, didn't see anyone else." They listened awhile longer. Georgette fell asleep on the floor next to Candice unable to keep her eyes open.

She awoke the next morning to the sun shining in on her face. Candice was still asleep next to her. She sat up, feeling stiff from sleeping on the hard floor. Her hands had stopped bleeding but were still in rough shape. She got up and stretched. She tried to think of a way out. She saw the window. It was small and rectangular. Last night she had been sure it wasn't an escape option because of its size but now in daylight it looked better. Chances were that she wouldn't be able to fit through it. But maybe Candice would. She was much more slender. She walked over and looked up at it. She wouldn't be able to reach it by herself. She went over to Candice and gently shoke her awake.

"Hey," she said quietly, "I need your help." Candice rolled over onto her side, mumbled something and continued to sleep. She prodded her harder and said "Hey wake up!"

* * *

Candice opened her eyes, feeling slightly annoyed. It was only when she remembered where they were that she pushed the feelings away.

"What?"

"Will you get on my shoulders," said Georgette, "Try to break the window."

"With what?" Georgette looked around the room and spotted a part of the floor that had cracked and looked like it would start crumbling. She went over and started prying at the loose concrete with her fingers. Candice went to help her. They managed to get one piece out of the floor. Georgette threw it at the window, smashing it. They listened for approaching footsteps, hoping the man hadn't heard. Georgette got on her knees and Candice got on her shoulders.

"When you get out there find something to use as a weapon, a big rock, a stick whatever and try to ambush the guy." Candice took a deep breath and said

"Why me?"

"Cause I'll never fit through there." Georgette had a different build. Her shoulders and hips were wider than Candice who instead looked like a twig. She could reach the window perfectly. Not all of the glass had broken off the frame. She knew it would cut her hands but it was their only way out. She tried to break it as carefully as possible only getting a few bad slices. She put her arms out first, knowing her shoulders wouldn't fit otherwise. She felt Georgette grab the bottoms of her feet so she'd have something to push off of. She pushed her head out and got a good look around. The ground wasn't that far. She couldn't see any walkers in the trees so she continued to slowly push her way out. She was up to her chest and she was able to put her hands on the wall and push harder. She felt the small shards still on the frame scrape open the soft skin of her belly. She had to keep quiet in case that man was anywhere nearby. She had a hard time keeping herself up once she got past chest. Her arms only stretched for so long and once she got to her hips she could no longer hold on. She fell forward, her hips stuck in the window frame. She couldn't help but yell out in pain. The little tips of glass were digging into her flesh again. She hung helplessly like a doll. She felt Georgette grab her legs and push her hard. As soon as her hips got past the frame she was on the ground. She lay there for a moment, the sun in her face.

"Are you alright?" It was her sister's voice from back inside the room. She sat up and said

"Ya,"

"Good, now take your time, don't rush in there and attack him, wait to sneak up on him."

"I'll come back I promise," she said, "I'm gonna go into the woods and see what I can find to use."

"Good," there was a pause and then she heard her say "I love you Candice, be careful."

"I love you too." Feeling good, she walked off into the woods. She knew her sister loved her but it was good to hear it sometimes. Georgette never liked to voice her emotions too much. She kept her eyes open for walkers. As she kept walking and her adrenaline went down the pain from the cuts in her stomach started to sting more. She looked to see that her shirt was soaked in blood as well as the top of her pants. She knew the scent would attract walkers and she needed to find something to protect herself with. She spotted a thick tree branch. It wasn't rotting and the leaves were still attached to it. It was a little heavy but manageable. She turned around to head back to the gas station. Standing in her path were four wolves snarling at her. She froze, unsure of what to do. They looked skinny and they had their sharp white teeth bared at her. She would have taken walkers any day over a pack of hungry wolves. More appeared, coming out from the trees and bushes. She took a step back and they started to advance on her. She turned and ran as fast as her legs could move. She pushed through the thick foliage and got a face full of spider web. She stopped, pulling at the sticky strands attached to her face and stuck in her eyelashes. She looked back to see the wolves coming for her and took off running again. She could feel them on her heels, closing in on her. She saw her escape. A tree had fallen and landed so it was leaning against another.

She jumped onto it, as she was pulling herself up one of the wolves grab onto her leg with its teeth. It bit hard, sinking its teeth into her flesh. She screamed in pain, feeling her grip on the tree slowly loosening. If she didn't do something she'd slip and fall into their hungry jaws. She prayed that the wolf would grow tired and let go of her. But the longer she hung there it tightened its grip, shredding further into her leg. Suddenly she heard a yelp and looked down. A walker had come and bitten into the wolf's tail. The wolf let go of her and she pulled herself up. She watched as the wolf attacked the walker, tearing into its head. Interestingly enough, the wolf didn't eat the walker. The animals had adapted to them and learned that eating them would bring on sickness. The other wolves arrived and began to howl up at her. She began to climb the tree that was still standing. She wrapped her legs around it slowly began to move her way up like a bear. She had mastered the art of tree climbing as a child with Georgette when they'd play in the yard. She had always been pretty good at it. She grabbed onto a thick branch that looked strong enough to hold her and hoisted herself up so she was straddling it and holding onto it with her hands. The wolves continued to howl up at her. She watched the one with the bitten tail. It had moved away from the others. It looked sluggish and confused as it tripped over its own paws. Soon it fell to the ground and lay there, no longer moving. She was unsure on what she should do. Georgette had told her to take her time but Candice knew her sister was depending on her, waiting for her to burst into the room and get her out.

Soon the walkers came, attracted by the howling. She felt overwhelmingly hopeless as the wolves started to attack the walkers, she was a piece of food being fought over. Soon the wolves were driven off as more walkers arrived. The tree was surrounded by them, clawing at the bark, trying to get to her. The sun was starting to set and soon she'd be in complete darkness.

* * *

Georgette sat in the room her head up against the wall. She wanted to be patient but she felt it slipping and turning into worry and anger. It was nightfall and she hadn't heard from Candice. She tried to tell herself she was fine, she was just taking her time, making sure that they could get out safely. Maybe the man hadn't left the gas station today. She was quickly proven wrong when she heard the door at the other end of the hallway open and close again. She got up, a wave of anger crashing over her. She yelled out.

"HEY!" She went over to the door and put her face against it. "LET ME OUT YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!" She heard the footsteps in the hallway pause. "OPEN THIS GODDAMN DOOR!" The footsteps continued on and she heard the door down the hall open and close. She yelled out in anger and began repeatedly slamming her body against the door.

* * *

Beau sat at his workbench. He felt his heart pumping as he got to work. He picked up the scalpel and got to work. The head snapped hungrily at him. He started with the top of the head as usual. He made an incision and dragged the scalpel down, making a long and deep cut. With his hands he pulled the flesh apart, revealing the white skull. He could hear the head hissing at him. Picking it up he held it upside down and brought it down on the table, cracking it like an egg. He pulled away the cracked shards and looked inside to see the brain. It was the usual yellowish gray color. He plunged his knife in, silencing the walker and digging up a good amount of the brain as he brought it back out. He began to repeatedly stab into it, sending bits of brain all over himself and the table. He felt some land on his face and quickly wiped it away. He never tasted or ate anything after the person had died, too much of a risk. He'd once force-fed one of the girls flesh from a walker and she'd quickly gotten sick and died. He started to slowly skin the head, carefully keeping the flesh intact. When he was done he laid it out and looked at what he had done. What an artist he was. He stitched it together so it became a mask. He slowly slid it over his face. It fit him perfectly. He slipped it off and then got to work on the rest of the head. He removed everything else, leaving the skull. It would be nice add to his collection. He grabbed both the mask and skull and made his way to the staircase. The basement had two levels, which was why he had chosen the house to live in. The first basement level was where he kept his victims, his work table and tools. The bottom level was where he kept his work. He walked into the first room. It had a couch, a table with candles and an old pool table where he and Vince often played. He walked past and went into the next room, his favorite room in the house. It was dimly lit. A table on the other side of the room held what looked like pumpkins. They were skulls with candles inside. Hooks from the ceiling held several masks. It was his trophy room.

* * *

Beth lay in bed, tossing and turning. She couldn't remember the last time she had a good sleep. It had been years, ever since losing Daryl and the girls. She felt tears start to stream down her face and onto her pillow. It had been seventeen years and she still couldn't help but tear up at the thought of them. She remembered the last time she had seen his face. Before he'd gone back to help fight. She felt so alone in bed. She missed having him there, his arms wrapped around her. Sometimes she could still hear his voice, saying that he loved her, telling her he'd never leave her, that she and the girls were his whole world. She'd never feel Georgette jump on her in the morning, trying to get her up, or hear Candice's little giggle. Her whole life had been taken away from her in minutes; all she had left to hold onto was her son who was clearly getting more distant by the day. She slowly started to doze off, her thoughts carrying her into the usual romantic but cruel dream.

_She sat up and saw him standing in the bedroom doorway. He was facing her, the smirk she had loved so much on his face. He was bare chested and wearing jeans. Maybe tonight it was real; maybe he was really standing there. She slowly got out of bed, and walked over to him. He watched her as she approached him. She let his name escape her lips as she stood in front of him. She reached up and touched his cheek. She could feel the stubble of hair at his jaw as she moved her hands down. His skin was cold but it felt so real. She felt him wrap his arms around her waist and pull her in. He was solid and when she put her arms around him she could feel the scars lining his back. She looked up into his green eyes and said_

_"Please don't leave me." He brushed the hair from her face, and leaned down and softly kissed her. His lips, like the rest of his body were cold. She tangled her hands into his long dark hair and kissed him back, making it more passionate. They broke apart, breathing heavily. He leaned into her neck, burying his face in her long blonde hair. She heard him whisper._

_"I love you."_

She awoke, frantically looking for him. The doorway was empty and she was alone again. She fell back onto her pillow, taking a deep breath and letting the tears fall again. She thought back to all those years ago when she was an eighteen years old and they had just escaped the prison. She had clung to him and cried into his chest, the loss of her father fresh in her mind. There hadn't been anything romantic going on between them at the time, or at least they hadn't recognized it. She wished she could go back in time, knowing what she did now and make things different. She'd still have Georgette, Candice and Daryl.

**Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, been busy with work and classes. Thanks for all your reviews and support. Beau keeps getting worse and worse, if I had to describe him I'd say he's a mix between the killer Ed Gein and Patrick Bateman from the movie _American Psycho_. **

**For the past few days I've been trying to find an older actress that could look like an older Beth. It's hard to find pictures of Emily Kinney where she looks older because she looks so young for her age. I finally found Natalie Dormer, a 31-year-old actress. She's younger then Beth would be at this point the story (39/40 years old) but she's the best I could find. The pictures of her are posted in my profile.**


	31. Chapter 31

Beth cradled Gwen in her arms, softly singing to her to sleep. She walked around the back yard of Brenna's house, enjoying the warm air. Brenna was inside cleaning up around the house. She had only been caring for Gwen for three days now but she already felt a deep bond with the little girl. It had also been three days since she had spoken to Daryl. She was still angry about how he had embarrassed her in front of Steve and she wasn't about to crack and be the one to approach him when she had done nothing wrong.

When the baby was finally asleep she quietly made her way back into the house. She opened the door to Brenna's room where she also kept Gwen's crib. She gently lowered her into it and tucked her in. She turned around to see Brenna standing in the doorway. Beth smiled and said

"She's out like a light."

"I made some lunch if you're hungry." Beth followed her out, shutting the door. They sat down at the table to eat.

"So you're from Georgia too," said Brenna, cutting up her piece of meat. Beth nodded and said

"I was born here."

"I was born in Ohio," said Brenna, "But my family moved down here when I was a teenager. But we traveled often so I got to go a lot of places." Beth wishes she had traveled before things went to hell. She had never been further north than South Carolina or further south than Florida.

"I lived on a farm with my family," said Beth, trying to stay strong at the thought of her father.

"My husband and I lived south of Atlanta," said Brenna, "When the biters started to take over we ran north to try and find a safer place. It was soon after I found out I was pregnant." She took a deep breath and continued, "My husband, Tony tried his best to keep us safe. He went out hunting one day and left me at the house we were taking shelter in. I stayed up all day and night waiting for him. After three days of waiting and hoping I knew he was dead. So I left the house to move on and further up the road I found him. He had turned." Beth saw tears glistening in Brenna's eyes which she quickly wiped away. Beth thought since Brenna had shared her own personal story she should share hers.

"We used to live in a prison, Carol and I. We'd been there for awhile and I thought it would be our home." She knew not to tell Brenna about Carol being exiled because of Karen and Dave so she skipped ahead. "A man who wanted what we had attacked us. He killed my father right in front of my sister and I." She took a deep breath, keeping control of her emotions. "He destroyed everything we had and scattered us all. Don't know if the group will ever find each other again." She felt Brenna take her hand and say

"Well this is your new home now. We have a good man leading us, lots of protection and great people."

* * *

Daryl drove his knife into the head of a walker. When he brought it back out he kicked the body to the ground and stomped on its head, letting out his pent up aggression. Damien must have noticed because he said

"You alright man?"

"Ya," he said, "Just fuckin' hate these things." He scraped off the brains that had gotten stuck to his shoe. In reality he was pretty aggravated. Beth hadn't spoken more than a couple of words to him in a week and it was driving him crazy. He was sure she'd be the one to approach him first. He'd seen her hanging out with that Steve kid more and he knew he had been wrong to yell at her. He'd see them walking down the street and that he was the one walking with her. He couldn't deny and push away how he felt anymore but he knew he'd have to keep it a secret. He had to remind himself he was forty fucking years old. It just wasn't realistic for him to think anything besides a friendship between them could be healthy. He wasn't even a relationship type of person anyway; the idea of it sent him running. He had never had any serious girlfriends before, mainly just one night drunken stands with the girls Merle would bring home. He watched as Damien took out another lone walker. He was proving to be a good hunting partner, not that he needed one but he enjoyed his company. He had been in the marines and was a pretty good survivalist. They left the woods and started walking along the road.

They passed by a group of cars and Daryl looked inside them, surprised to see there were no rotting corpses sitting in the seats. He did see something that shocked him. It was a sheriff's hat. Rick's King County sheriff hat that Carl always wore.

* * *

Beth left Brenna's house after lunch. She was headed back across the street to Carol's when she was stopped by someone calling her name. She turned to see Steve running towards her. She smiled and said

"Hey,"

"Are you done watching Gwen?"

"Ya, Brenna said she can handle her for the rest of the day."

"Great," said Steve, "I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk to this cool place nearby." She could see him blushing nervously.

"Ya, I'd love too." She had had no intention of being any more than friends with Steve when she first met him but she knew Daryl didn't like him and if hanging out with Steve pissed him off she'd continue to do it.

* * *

_Maggie awoke as she felt the car come to a stop. She was laying the backseat. She opened her eyes to see Glenn sitting in the front seat._

_"Where are we?"_

_"Take a look," he said. She sat up and looked out the front. On the left side of the road was a big blue sign that read 'Welcome to Tennessee.' Glenn sighed and said "I didn't realize we'd come so far North." They were both silent. Maggie knew what he wanted to ask._

_"I don't think we should leave yet." There was Beth to think about and the others. They were most likely still in Georgia._

_"We need to find a place to settle," said Glenn, "We can keep looking for them, but we haven't seen any good places to stay in for miles, there might be something over the border." Maggie didn't want to leave. But it was true they hadn't seen much but mobile homes and they needed something that was fenced in or at least two floors._

_"Alright," she said, giving in. As Glenn drove forward she looked out the back window, leaving behind everything._

* * *

Beth and Steve walked along the fence that went around the town. She had expected this 'cool place' to be inside the town walls but as he pulled back he untied the chain links from the fence's pole she realized it was outside. She felt nervous and said

"Are you sure we should be going out there?"

"Ya it'll be fine," he said, "Don't worry I've got a gun." She still wasn't feeling reassured. He came over and put his hands on her shoulders. "I'll watch out for you." The look of sincerity in his eyes swayed her and she nodded. After him she snuck through the fence, tying it up after she got through. She felt rebellious and a bit naughty. She had never done anything like this before. It had always been Maggie who had been the one to sneak around with boys and get into trouble. She had always been the good girl. If Daryl knew where she was he'd flip.

She kept her eyes open for walkers as they walked along a path through the woods. She did have her knife strapped to her belt so she wasn't completely defenseless. She heard him up ahead

"We're here." The woods opened up to reveal a large rocky ledge. Beyond and below the ledge was a big green meadow. It was absolutely beautiful.

"Wow," she said, stepping out to the edge. "This is amazing."

"I thought you'd like it." She walked back over to him and took a seat on the ground. He sunk down next to her. "We can stay and watch the sunset if you want." Beth was too mesmerized by the view to realize how cliché he was sounding. Ten minutes later the sky was dyed the deep colors of red, yellow and orange. Beth had her head resting on Steve's shoulder. She felt a hand land on her shoulder. For one peaceful moment she assumed it was Steve's but then she heard the hissing. She looked up to see a walker standing over her. She screamed as it lunged for her. Steve got up and quickly shot it in the head with his pistol. She was still in shock as she sat there. Steve took her arm and helped her up.

"Are you ok?" She took a deep breath and said

"Ya, I'm fine."

"We should be heading back anyway." They left the ledge and started back down the path. Beth stopped when she saw them in the trees, moving towards them. It was a herd.

They took off running. The forest was darker than when they had come in and it looked different. Soon she realized they were no longer on a path but running through the bushes. She felt her foot get caught on a root and she fell, the breath getting knocked out of her. She rolled over onto the back. She called for help.

"Steve!" She didn't see him. She tried to get up but felt pain shoot through her ankle. She saw the walkers coming for her. This was how it was going to end, alone, in the middle of the woods, and left behind by a boy she had foolishly trusted. A walker fell over the bush in front of her and landed on her. She reached for her knife but before she could pull it out an arrow pierced through the walker's skull. The others were shot down around her. Then Daryl appeared and another man. She smiled, relieved to see him. But he looked enraged; his face red and twisted with anger. His voice came out low and heated.

"What the hell you doin' girl?" She wasn't sure what to say.

"Steve, he ran off and I-" More walkers were approaching and the other man said

"No time for that now, we better get going." Daryl walked past her, not looking down. The other man picked her up and carried her through the forest. She saw Steve standing back on the path, looking anxious. She couldn't help but be angry with him.

"You left me there!"

"I swear Beth I thought you were right behind me, I didn't notice until I turned around!"

"I was holding your hand, and I called your name!"

"I must not have heard it, I was running pretty fast." Daryl yelled out,

"SHUT UP!" Beth looked at him, shocked. She'd never seen him so angry. Even all those times he'd lost his temper back on the farm didn't compare to this. "DON'T SAY ANOTHER FUCKIN' WORD EITHER OF YA!" Beth kept her mouth shut, afraid to even breathe.

The walk back to the town was long and silent. When they finally got back she was taken to one of the hospital beds again. She was alone and she let the tears fell. What had she done? She was waiting for the doctor to come and look at her ankle then she could go. She didn't know how she and Daryl were going to stay in the same apartment without being at each other's throats. She heard the door open and thought it was the doctor but was shocked to see that it was Daryl. She could still see the anger and hurt in his eyes. He tossed something at her and it landed on her legs. It was a hat, Rick's sheriff hat.

"Found that today, thought you should know." He turned and walked out the door.

* * *

Daryl had never been so angry in his life. She was stupid to leave the town like that, especially with that kid. As he walked out of the hospital he saw Steve hanging around the front of the apartment building. He couldn't help but grab him by the front of his shirt and back him hard into the brick wall. He got close to his face. In a low voice he threatened him.

"Ever go near Beth again I'll rip your face off." He let him go and started walking towards the door.

"What do you care?" Daryl stopped, turning around to face him. "You're not her daddy or brother, what do you care what she does." People who knew Daryl never talked back to him. He went back over and said

"You fuckin' leave her alone!" Steve had a smirk on his face.

"Oh I get it now, you two are fucking. Did coming here make her realize there's more out there for her than just an old redneck?" He saw red and before he knew what he was doing he had punched the kid in the face. He was on the ground, his nose broken and bleeding.

"What the fuck?!" he said, wiping some of the blood off. Disgusted, Daryl walked into the building, leaving him there. He walked into the apartment, he saw Carol standing in the kitchen. He kept walking as she tried to talk to him.

"Where have you been? And where's Beth?!" There wasn't anywhere for him to go off and be by himself like the prison. It was a four room apartment. So he went over to the window, looking outside and keeping his back to Carol. He knew he'd have to tell her what happened and it would only be worse if he waited.

"Found her with that kid outside the walls. They were gettin' attacked by walkers."

"Is she ok?!"

"Ya just sprained her ankle; she's down in the hospital again. I can't believe she'd fuckin' run off with that kid. He left her on the ground with a hurt ankle and just kept goin'. I gave him a good talkin' to before I came in here." He felt Carol wrap her arms around him from behind. He was still too pissed off about what Steve had said to him to really care. "I found Rick's sheriff hat today," he said, "In a car on the side of the road, looked like it'd been there for awhile, couldn't find any fresh evidence to show recent activity."

"They're out there somewhere," said Carol, "They're survivors you'll find them eventually."

Daryl knew finding the hat was a serious new clue in their attempt to find the others but he couldn't help his thoughts from drifting back to Beth. He thought of her going off alone with Steve. What had they been doing in the woods? He hadn't really asked her. Maybe they had just gone for a walk or maybe they had been looking for a private place. The thought sent his temper flaring again. He thought back to when she had told him that maybe she only wanted one thing from Steve too. He was pretty sure Beth was a virgin. There had been Zach and that boy she had dated back on the farm but the relationships hadn't been that long and Beth didn't seem to be the type to jump right into having sex. He turned around and looked down at Carol. She had a sympathetic expression and she gently placed both her hands on his face. It was in the heat of the moment, in his anger at seeing Beth with another boy he couldn't help but want to get back at her. When Carol leaned up and kissed him he didn't stop her. The kiss got more passionate and he felt her backing him towards the bedroom. He couldn't go that far. He was about to back away and tell Carol what they were doing was wrong but the image of Beth with Steve flashed through his mind. He let her bring him into the bedroom. He went down onto the bed backwards. Everything in his mind was screaming no, he had no sexual attraction to Carol. She climbed onto him and pressed her lips back onto his. She started to claw at his shirt which he slipped off over his head. He was careful to keep his back down on the bed, not wanting to reveal any of his scars. He felt her fumbling with his belt. He heard a small gasp and both of them froze. He looked up to see Beth standing in the doorway. Her face was red with embarrassment. She looked shocked and hurt. He also noticed that her foot was wrapped in a bandage. He heard her mutter

"Sorry," then she left the doorway. Carol was off of him and sitting beside him, her face also red with embarrassment. He got off the bed, re-buckled his belt and pulled his shirt on. He found Beth lying on the couch, the blanket pulled over her head. Before he could speak she sensed his presence and said "Just go away." Daryl thought about standing there and trying to explain things to her. His feelings about her and how confused he really was. He couldn't do it, so he walked away and left the apartment.

**Thanks everyone for the reviewing and reading :) To be honest I thought writing Daryl and Beth would be hard for me because I didn't think I'd do a good job at keeping Daryl in character but I'm actually finding it really fun lol. I bet you're all pissed at him right now but don't worry things will get better ;) I've never liked the idea of Carol and Daryl. They're way too much alike and I feel like they wouldn't have a healthy relationship. I also think Carol's too old for Daryl lol**


	32. Chapter 32

Candice was exhausted. She couldn't see anything. All she could hear were the hisses and moans coming from the walkers down below. She could feel herself nodding off every once in awhile, her head and eyelids drooping. She needed a way to get down. She needed to get back to her sister. But without light it would be impossible. She leaned down so she was lying on her stomach, her legs and arms hooked around the branch. It was uncomfortable but it was better than sitting up.

When light started to dimly illuminate the forest again Candice was half asleep on the branch, aware enough to keep her grip. She opened her eyes, seeing the walkers still clawing at the tree. There weren't as many as there were last night but still a group gathered at the base. She looked around for another possible way out. She looked up and saw that the trees grew thicker together higher up. She slowly turned her body around and braced herself against the trunk. She started to inch her way up. The next branch was several feet above her. When she finally was in touching distance of it she grabbed for it with one hand. She missed and quickly grabbed back onto the tree as she felt her body tipping backwards. She lunged for it again and got ahold of it. By pushing on the trunk she was able to lift herself up. She got a face full of leaves as she pulled herself onto the branch. It was hard to see much with the thick foliage but that's exactly what she wanted. After awhile she could no longer hear the walkers. She pushed aside the leaves and saw that they stopped swarming and were walking off. She carefully inched her way back down the tree, being as quick as possible. Some of the walkers had already spotted her again and were making their way back over.

As soon as her feet hit the ground she ran and didn't look back. Along the way she found the branch she had picked up yesterday and decided to grab it again. She wasn't going to waste any time getting inside and breaking Georgette out. When she came up to the gas station she stopped running and looked up at the broken window.

"Georgette?"

"Candice is that you!" Her voice sounded frantic and worried.

"Ya,"

"Are you alright?! You've been gone all night?"

"Ya, I'm fine, I'll explain to you later." She slowly made her way around the front of the building. She didn't see the man anywhere. With her back against the wall she looked inside. She saw their horses tied up at the back of the room and there were no chains on the door like before. She quietly pulled it open and went inside. The door to the hallway was held open by a rock placed in front of it. She thought about just getting Georgette out, getting on the horses and leaving but they needed their supplies, especially their map and guns. She saw the door on the left and placed her hand on the doorknob. What would she find behind the door? Was the man there or was he out? It'd be better if he was out, then she could hide and ambush him. She didn't want to wait a second longer; she pushed the door open and raised the branch above her head. Below her stood a little boy, looking up at her with a confused and shocked expression. She lowered the branch and looked around the room. There was a couch, an old vending machine and a table. The boy had tears in his eyes. His voice was full of fear.

"Who are you?" Candice couldn't help but feel herself soften. She didn't know what to say. Before she could reply she heard someone walk in behind her. She turned around to see the man standing there, shocked to see her. She wasn't as much of a fighter as Georgette was but instinct took over and she lunged at him, seeing the handgun in his belt. She grabbed it and pulled it out, holding it up to his face.

"You let my sister out and give us back our supplies and we'll be on our way." The man looked afraid.

"Wait, wait," he said, holding a hand up in defense, "Please don't hurt me."

"You didn't seem to care about hurting us."

"Listen I was just trying to feed my son. I'll let your sister out; just don't hurt me or my boy." Candice felt slightly sympathetic. But she kept the gun pointed at him as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. He made his way over the door, his hands shaking as he tried to get the key in the lock. He twisted the knob and the door opened. Georgette was standing there when the door swung back. She came out; looking angrier than Candice had seen her in a long time. She pushed the man into the wall and held him there. As she was reaching back to punch him in the face the little boy ran forward and grabbed onto Georgette's leg.

"Don't hurt my dad!" He then beat on Georgette's leg, trying to get her to let go. To Candice's surprise Georgette released the man who stayed with his back to the wall. The little boy ran over and grabbed onto his father. Georgette still looked fired up.

"Where's all of our stuff?!"

"Look I'm sorry about what I did to you," said the man, "I just needed to feed and protect my son, I did what I had too. I left you locked up in there because I didn't know what to do with you. But trust me my intentions were never to kill you."

* * *

Georgette still didn't let her guard down.

"This your permanent home?" she asked, looking around at the water damaged moldy walls.

"No," said the man, "We're headed out west to Oregon, hopefully to meet up with some family. Not even sure if they're still alive but it's worth a shot. We used to live in Michigan." Georgette saw the truth and fear in the man's eyes. He wasn't tricking her. She looked down at the little boy, frightened and clinging to his father. She lowered her gun and said

"We're headed east to Georgia, also to meet family." She followed the man into the back room. It was an old break room with a couch and table. The man walked over to a small closet and pulled out their bags.

"Here," he said, "Your horses are out front." Georgette saw the defeated look in the man's eyes and felt bad for him. She knew she shouldn't do it. They were in desperate need of supplies themselves, but the look in the boy's big blue eyes swayed her. She unzipped her bag and took out a bag of apples that they'd picked up back in Cheyenne. They barely had enough ammunition left for themselves so instead of a gun Georgette pulled one of the knives.

"Here," she said handing it to the man, "It's not the best but it's all we have to give." If the man had been alone she would have left him there with a broken nose and bruised face but seeing the little boy made her think back to when she, Angela and Candice were on the road to Wyoming.

* * *

_Georgette awoke to see that she was still in the backseat of the car. Candice was strapped into the car seat next to her. The car was still moving and Angela was driving. She wasn't sure what had woken her up until she felt the sharp pain of hunger in her stomach. She wrapped her arms tightly around her body, trying to make it go away. Besides Candice, they hadn't eaten all day. They had found some baby formula and canned fruit for Candice. Angela had wanted to give Georgette the fruit but she refused, knowing her sister needed it more than she did. Candice had liked the canned fruit but Angela had a hard time getting her to take the formula. Her mother had breast fed her and Candice was not used to the formula. Angela must have heard her groan of pain and looked at her in the rear view mirror._

_"I know you're hungry, just wait a little longer, there's a rest stop up the road."_

_Ten minutes later, they were pulling into the parking lot. Angela got out and came around to unstrap Candice from her seat. Georgette hopped out on her side and they started walking towards the building. "Stay beside me the whole time," said Angela. Georgette knew the drill. They had stopped three times so far. She still wasn't used to seeing the walkers coming for them, all bloody and cut up. Angela kicked in the double doors, her gun in one hand and Candice in the other. The place seemed to be deserted. They made their way towards a door that led into the kitchen of one of the restaurants. It was dark inside, the only light coming from a few narrow windows near the ceiling. It was like a maze. There were lots of old stoves, sinks and refrigerators. They were going round one of the corners when a man's voice spoke up from behind them._

_"Put your guns down." They turned around to see a man holding a long shotgun up at them. Angela lowered her arm but kept the gun in her hand. In a steady voice she said_

_"We're just looking for some food." The man didn't lower his gun instead he repeated_

_"Put your gun down." Georgette saw the fear in Angela's eyes. She stepped forward and looked up at the man and pleaded with him._

_"Please sir, me and my sister are very hungry." She saw the man's hard expression fall. He dropped his gun and said_

_"Where are you coming from?"_

_"Georgia," said Angela, "We're trying to make it to Wyoming. Our camp was attacked and destroyed." The man looked at Candice, wrapped up asleep in Angela's arms. Then he looked back down at Georgette. He nodded and said_

_"Stay right here." He moved past them and went further into the kitchen, disappearing from sight. He came back a minute later holding a bundle of meat, a few cans of soup, a box of matches and a large butcher knife. Angela smiled and said_

_"Thank you so much, you're so kind." Georgette went forward and hugged the man's leg._

_"Thank you sooo much Mister!" She heard the man laugh and say_

_"It's no problem, I have more than enough for myself."_

_Ten minutes later they were back in the car, Georgette scarfing down the cans of soup until her stomach felt full._

* * *

The man looked extremely grateful and said

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it." They walked out front to the main area of the store to see their horses tied to a pole. Georgette considered leaving one of the horses for them. But she and Candice wouldn't be able to fit both on one horse, especially with the bags. She turned to the man and said

"There's not much between here and Wyoming. It's all highway with a few farms here and there. When you reach the border of Wyoming and get to a town called Pine Bluffs go around it, it's overrun. Even in the woods be careful, we almost got taken down a herd. After that go straight to Cheyenne. There's a huge community there. They'll give you everything you need to get to Oregon. Tell them Georgette and Candice sent you." She reached into one the bags and pulled out their map of Wyoming. "Take this with you." The man thanked them again and said

"Good luck, I hope you find who you're looking for." Georgette smiled and said

"You too." They waved goodbye and then they were off.

Once they were back on the highway Candice turned to her and said

"I can't believe you gave them that stuff."

"Why you think I shouldn't have?"

"No, I think you were right too but it's so unlike you to do that. Especially after he kept us prisoners." Georgette shrugged and said

"I just thought about when we were on the road back with Angela." There was a silence between the two before Georgette said "So what took you so long to come back and get me?" Candice began to tell her about her night spent up in the tree. When she was finished Georgette was shocked. Her sister was really stepping it up since they'd left Wyoming.

"I was worried about you all night," said Georgette, "Didn't get any sleep." Smiling, Candice said

"I can handle myself."

**Not a long one or my best writing but the next one will make up for it and I know you're all excited to see what happens with Beth and Daryl :) Thanks to DarylDixon'sLover, K. Lynn Perks, Eliza G and MaddyMarie1212 for your reviews! I love getting long and and excited feedback lol :)**


	33. Chapter 33

Beth waited until Carol was asleep. She sat up off the couch, tears still staining her face. Things seemed to be spiraling out of control. She could no longer ignore her feeling towards Daryl. Seeing he and Carol on the bed had broken her heart. She knew he had a thing with her but somewhere in her mind she had thought maybe- just maybe Daryl would have forgotten about his feelings for Carol. That being on the road for all those weeks with her would finally get him to notice her. But she had been wrong. She didn't know if she'd be able to watch them together. She settled back under the covers and shut her eyes.

* * *

A half an hour later, Daryl came back in. He took out a glass and a bottle of whiskey. He poured himself a glass and tossed it back, trying to find some form of comfort. The alcohol burned going down and he dropped down into a chair at the kitchen table, his face in his hands. He had gone and fucked everything up. A voice in the back of head told him she had been asking for it with what she had done with Steve. He also thought about what would have happened if Beth hadn't walked in on them. He wasn't even turned on; it was like kissing his sister. He shivered at the thought and tossed back the rest of the whiskey. He knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep that night. He walked into the living room to see Beth asleep on the couch. He went over and knelt down at her side. Her face was lit up in the moonlight spilling through the window. Her fair porcelain skin looked beautiful. Her lips were rose pink, her golden hair spread out across the pillow. She looked so delicate. He leaned down and gently kissed her on the forehead. Things had been so much better when they were alone. Not wanting to wake her he decided not to move her. He went into Carol's room and carefully lowered himself onto the bed, not getting under the covers. He lay there, stiff as a board, his back turned to Carol.

* * *

Beth woke up earlier than usual. The sun still wasn't completely in the sky yet and it cast long orange shadows across the carpet. The apartment was quiet and it took her a moment to remember what had happened last night. Had Daryl come back in? She got up and moved into the kitchen. The bedroom door was shut. She carefully went over and opened it quietly. There was Daryl lying on the bed. He was clothed and he was above the covers but it still made her blood boil. She put on her shoes, put her hair up and then went back over to the bedroom doorway. She picked up one of his boots sitting beside the door and threw it at him. Then she threw it at him. She heard him let out a yell and she dashed out the door.

Beth didn't return and instead wandered around the town. It was too early to go to Brenna's. There was hardly anyone out. Her ankle still throbbed in pain but she ignored it and continued on down the street. Daryl had found Rick's hat. He hadn't given her any specifics but if he had found it on a dead body he would have told her. She remembered back at the farm when Daryl had found Sophia's doll. Everyone had been confident that it meant Sophia was close but in fact she had already been dead, locked away in their barn. She suddenly felt a stab of painful nostalgia. If things had stayed normal none of this would be happening right now.

* * *

Daryl tossed the boot aside, pissed off at being awoken so abruptly. He knew it had been Beth. He had heard the door slam. She was gone. He sat up and looked over at Carol who was starting to stir. He quickly got up and moved into the kitchen. Like he suspected, Beth was gone.

"Hey," He turned around to see Carol standing there watching him. "Did Beth go?"

"Course she did."

"I feel bad about last night; she didn't need to see that." He grunted in agreement, moving to put the whiskey from last night away. When he felt Carol's arms around him again he flinched. "But now that she's gone we can finish what we started." He moved out of her grasp and said

"I'm goin' huntin'."

* * *

When the sun finally rose above the land Beth went to Brenna's. She walked in just in time as she heard the baby start crying. Brenna was in the kitchen.

"Good morning," said Brenna, "Want some breakfast?" She hadn't had any before she left Carol's apartment so she agreed and sat down at the table. She ate quickly while Brenna fed Gwen a bottle.

"I'll take her out for a walk if you want. You can get some cleaning done."

"Her strollers in her bedroom." Beth went and opened it up. She and Judith had never been able to go on walks around the prison. Rick wanted her inside most of the time and there weren't any strollers. She strapped Gwen inside and left the house. People were starting to move around and leave their houses. She saw Daryl leaving the apartment building. He had his crossbow, no doubt he was going hunting. She kept her head down and her gaze low, hoping he wouldn't see her. She nearly ran into someone nd looked up to see that it was Lily.

"Oh hey," she said, "What are you up to?"

"Just headed to the garden to help harvest some food." She looked down at Gwen and said "You wanna come along?"

"Sure," said Beth, "It's inside the walls?"

"Oh ya," said Lily, "Richard would never set up the gardens outside. Walkers would trample through it and other people might find it." Beth turned the stroller around and followed Lily back up the street. She saw Daryl walking ahead of them and tried to keep their pace slow. He eventually took a turn into the parking lot where all of the vehicles were kept. They walked beyond the downtown area and came to a small field on the edge of the town. It was all gardens. There were several different fruits growing and several apple trees also growing. Lily took out a plastic bag and began to start taking the apples off. Beth took Gwen out of the stroller and let her sit in the grass with one of her toys. She kept her eye on her and helped Lily pick the apples. She saw Lily eyeing Gwen and she said

"That's not your baby is it?"

"Oh no," said Beth, "Just babysitting."

"Did you used to do that before everything went to shit?" Beth nodded and said

"I'd babysit a lot. Mainly for the same families."

"My mom wanted me to do something to earn money. She wanted me to take a job as a waitress, thought it would help me learn to be poised and polite to people. I didn't want to do it so I babysit instead. I won't be needing poise and politeness anymore," she said laughing, "The babysitting gave me more useful skills."

"Back at the prison with my old group I used to take care of the kids. It was nice. Didn't have to go out every day and face those monsters. I would love to have my own someday but in the world we live in it doesn't seem like such a good idea." Lily nodded and said

"Is Carol related to you in any way?" Beth shoke her head and said

"No, just a good friend." She looked down at the ground and said "Both my parents are dead."

"My father died when this all started," said Lily, "It's just been me and my mom ever since. I miss him sometimes, but then I think that he's in a much better place than we are. The pain's over for him. We'll see him again someday." Beth closed her eyes and thought of her own father. She suddenly had an urge to tell Lily more.

"I watched my dad get killed." She didn't want to use the word beheaded or decapitated, it was too much for her, "An evil man came and destroyed the prison we were in." Lily looked up at her with sympathy and said

"I saw my dad get bit, right in the neck. There was nothing we could do. If it had been an arm or leg maybe we could have kept him alive. It used to bother me a lot just thinking about it but I've come to realize that in today's world you can't let things like that get to you anymore." Beth nodded, wishing she could feel the same.

They filled the two bags they had and headed back downtown. When they came to the café and kitchen area Lily said goodbye and took the two bags inside. Beth continued down the sidewalk, headed back to Brenna's. Gwen had had quite the adventure and it was time for a nap. Before she could reach the front door someone blocked her way. It was Steve. She noticed he had a black eye and a bandaged nose. She tried to move past him and said

"If you don't mind I've gotta get the baby to sleep." He had a creepy smirk on his face.

"You know Beth I was interested in you and I was pretty sure you were interested in me until I realized you were into old men." Beth felt shocked and said

"Excuse me?!"

"You're a little whore for messing around with that redneck." She realized he was talking about Daryl.

"There's nothing going on between Daryl and me!" Steve made a sound of doubt and said

"That fucking pedophile destroyed my face!" Although Beth was still mad at Daryl she couldn't help but defend him.

"He is NOT a pedophile! Even if we were together he wouldn't be! I'm eighteen!" She didn't want to argue anymore in front of Gwen and pushed past him. As she reached Brenna's house she heard him yell out behind her.

"WHORE!"

* * *

_Maggie woke up in a bed. When she had fallen asleep she had still been in the back of the car. She sat up and looked around. She was in a bedroom, next to her lay Glenn, still asleep. She shoke him awake. He looked up at her, still half asleep. She asked_

_"Where are we?"_

_"I brought us here," he said, his voice still raspy. "You were asleep so I carried you in." Maggie lay back down, knowing they were safe. "We're on the third floor and I cleared the whole place."_

_"You should have woke me up, I would've helped." She got up and looked out the window. From what she could see they were in the woods. "How far did you have to drive into Tennessee before you found this place?"_

_"About a half an hour."_

_"That's pretty far."_

_"Well I wanted us to be as safe as possible. Let's just be grateful we found each other." She couldn't argue with him._

_"Be honest with me," she said, "Do you think we'll find anyone?" She closed her eyes, waiting for his answer._

_"I don't think so," he said, "We don't even know who survived. To go back would just be throwing ourselves into danger." Her gut reaction was to be mad at him and tell him he was being weak and giving up, that her baby sister could still be out there somewhere alone and scared. She went back over to the bed, tears streaming down her face._

_"How can you say that?"_

_"You wanted me to be honest." Maggie let out a sob and curled into fetal position, facing away from him. She felt him wrap his arms around her and rub some of the tears off her cheeks. "I just want to keep you safe." She was surprised to hear he was crying as well. "We've lost everything and now all that we have left is each other. I can't risk sending us back out into danger, especially you." She understood his reasoning and knew he was right but she didn't want to accept it. Not yet._

* * *

Steve's words stung. While she had yet to get physically involved with Daryl she did have feelings for him. Did that make her a whore? Or him a pedophile? In the old world their age difference would be shocking and abhorrent. It would never happen. She'd probably never look at Daryl the way she did now and he'd never look at her. Her daddy would chase him away with a gun just for talking to her. But it was different. Her daddy had liked Daryl and trusted him. Would her daddy approve of a relationship between them? She didn't even know why she was letting the thoughts cross her mind. It didn't matter, because she and Daryl would never be together anyway.

She crossed the street back to Carol's apartment, keeping her eyes open for Steve. It was dinner time and when she walked in Carol had dinner ready on the table. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Daryl sitting on the couch, cleaning his knives. She ignored him and sat down at the table. Carol went over to Daryl and said

"You coming to eat?"

"Ya," he said, setting his knives down on the coffee table. When he stood up Carol went in to kiss him on the lips but he turned his head and she instead got him on the cheek. Beth felt her face get hot with anger and she focused on her food, starting to cut it up. They sat down at the table with her. Carol looked at her and asked

"So how was your day?" Beth had expected her to act like nothing had happened last night, like she hadn't walked in on them half naked together.

"Fine." She wanted to talk about the garden and tell them about what Steve had said but she kept it to herself. The rest of the dinner was quiet. When Beth was done she cleaned off her plate at the sink. She heard Carol behind her say

"Daryl when was the last time you cut your hair?" He shrugged and Carol said

"Well you should let me cut it for you, keep it out of your eyes." Her tone was seductive and Beth was sick of listening to it. With a streak of bravery she turned to face Daryl, a stern expression on her face.

"Will you be taking the couch or the bed tonight?" Daryl's jaw dropped, shocked at her blatant question. She raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for an answer.

"He'll take the bed," said Carol, cutting in. Beth put on a fake, sickly sweet smile and said

"Great."

* * *

It was late at night. Beth hadn't been able to sleep. Then she'd remembered the dress. It was still there at the bottom of the bag. The shimmering blue sequins reflected back at her when she unzipped the bag. She pulled it out and held it up in front of her. It was still as beautiful as it had been when she'd gotten it from the store. She looked at herself in the living room mirror. What did Daryl see in Carol that he didn't see in her? Maybe she was too plain for him, not pretty enough. Maybe he knew she was inexperienced and he wanted someone who knew what they were doing. For once, she wanted to feel beautiful. She slipped out of her pajamas and stepped into the dress. She pulled it around her, and managed to zip it up the side herself.

* * *

Unable to sleep Daryl got up, besides the fact Carol had her hands on his bare chest, the thought of Beth was keeping him awake. He wanted to go see her on the couch, make sure she was still there. The girl could be unpredictable. He couldn't help but think about the times she had tried to commit suicide. When he walked into the living room he stopped in his tracks. She was standing there in front of the mirror. Her hands on her hips as she observed herself. She was wearing the blue dress she'd gotten from the store. He'd completely forgotten about it, and assumed she had left it behind at the house when it'd been overrun by walkers. She looked absolutely stunning. The dress was tight and hugged her every curve. The light blue sequins seemed to glow in the moonlight. It was strapless and he couldn't help noticing how low it was on her breasts. It felt like a dream. The floor creaked under his foot and she jumped, shocked to see him there.

"Beth," he said, stepping forward, "What are you doin'?" She wrapped her arms around her defensively and said

"What are you doing? Why don't you go back to bed where Carol is? Isn't she what you want?" He could hear the bitter, mocking tone of her voice.

"No," he said, "She's ain't what I want." He moved forward and despite her resistance, he took her in his arms and pulled her against his chest. She squirmed and wriggled to get away from him.

"How dare you touch me!" He almost laughed at the look of anger on her face. He couldn't take it seriously. He ran his hand up her neck and cupped her cheek, looking into her blue eyes. A tear escaped one of them and he wiped it away. "What do you want?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He paused and then said "What are you all dressed up for?" She suddenly broke down, her body shaking with sobs.

"I just wanted to feel beautiful."

"You are beautiful," he said, gently guiding her chin up so she was looking at him. Their faces grew closer together. He could see the want in her eyes. He moved his hands down her body, resting them on her hips. They were so close when he felt himself have a mini anxiety attack. This was Beth Greene, the eighteen-year-old daughter of Hershel. What the hell was he thinking? Just because the world had gone to shit didn't mean he could go around and do whatever he wanted. He was surprised Hershel hadn't sent a bolt of lightning down from the heavens to kill him already. He backed away, taking his hand off of her. She looked hurt and confused. He wanted to run. Run away from his emotions. His voice came out broken.

"I can't do this." Her expression softened and she said

"Why not?"

"Because it wouldn't be right," he took a deep breath. "I want to but I can't Beth it ain't right." With that he went back into the bedroom and closed the door, leaving her there.

**Thanks to K. Lynn Perks, DarylDixon'sLover, Zoe, Cecily D, and all the guests for commenting :) It means a lot! Daryl acts tough but under his hard exterior he's a shy guy who doesn't like to deal with his emotions, especially when it comes to women. I think that in the past he's definitely had one night stands and hookups but he's never been in an emotional relationship before where he's had to deal with another person's feelings.**

**Thanks again for everyone's support :)**


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